Dark Father
by JoieMaris
Summary: Four years after ROTS, Vader is haunted by nightmares from the Force. His dreams lead him to two special children. AU
1. A New Hope

**Author's note:** Sooo this is my first fanfic. Vader is suitless in this fanfic. Also: Luke and Leia are in the public system. **Known fact:** I own nothing and everything belongs to the original creators and owners. Except for a few characters and possibly planets of my own imagination.

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><p><em>Alderaan<em>

"Sir?" Mrs. Akan asked the man seated opposite her. His eyes seemed fixed on the thunderstorm raging on outside her office window. The rain made patterns on window as it fell, its sound soothing. The young man in front of her seemed soothed by rain. Often during the meeting he would become captivated by it and drift off, as if to another world.

The handsome stranger snapped out of his reverie and stared at her. He had sharp blue eyes that seemed to penetrate through people's veneers, seeing their darkest secrets. Mrs. Akan had the odd feeling he knew exactly what she was thinking. Which was, what did the clearly uncomfortable man want a child for? He had began showing signs of nervousness as soon as she began showing him children's profiles. However, he had a solid file with good references and a good job. Any of the orphaned children would be lucky to have a home with him.

Vader stared at the projector of children holograms. Most of the kids eyes held a look of helplessness. It scared him. Him, second in command only to the emperor. Scared of hopeless children. What was he doing here anyway? He certainly didn't deserve a child. He wasn't even a fit husband! _Stop, Anakin wasn't a fit husband_, Vader reminded himself.

Leaning back he sighed, he knew exactly why he was here. The nightmares. They had started four years ago. They were of a child, he was unsure whether male or female. But it was always the same, the child would be in danger and screaming. The cries haunted him even when he was awake. Lately the dream had changed, it showed him comforting the child. Vader took it the force wanted him to have a child. Perhaps, to make his past wrongs right?

Vader realized the short woman in front of him had said something. "I'm sorry?" he asked.

"I asked if any one of the children had caught your eye." Vader simply stared at her making Mrs. Akan more nervous. She cleared her throat. "Is there a specific age group you are looking for?" She repeated kindly.

Vader studied the woman. She had short cropped dark hair highlighted with blonde. A side-swept blonde bang matched her medium brown skin perfectly. She had a kind face. He forced himself to focus on her question. "A specific age?" he repeated. "Yes...four" he hated how his voice shook when he mentioned the age. His and Padmé's child's age. Their child would have been four.

"Four? Oh that's interesting, most people want a baby or much younger. Let's see" she tacked into her computer. Her eyes lit up. "Here we go, how about this charming boy?" she projected a picture of a boy with red hair and a happy smile.

Vader stared at the child and shook his head. He noticed Mrs. Akan frowning as he turned down child after child. What was he looking for anyway? It's not like he had ever seen his child or the one in his nightmares. The child could have been any of these kids. Tiredly Mrs Akan skipped through the profiles. A holo-image flashed of young girl. She had curly hair and large brown eyes. Her smile lit up the whole screen. Vader felt a sharp tug in the force.

"Wait!" Vader said involuntarily. "Go back"

Mrs. Akan raised an eyebrow. She flipped back to the girl. "Her?" she asked.

Vader nodded. So much like Padmé...Her large chocolate eyes. Her smile. "Her, what's her name?"

Mrs Akan blinked and read the profile. "Leia, but..."

"She's the one, when can I meet her?"

"Mr. Skywalker, the process needs to take place and the child well she is.."

"Mrs. Akan, she is the one. I feel it in my heart. It's hard to explain" he said sounding unusually passionate. Vader was surprising himself more and more with this conversation. This whole thing is bizarre, he thought.

Mrs Akan's face softened and she smiled. "That's what I like to hear, but this is a bit of a complicated case...You see Leia, well"

"What's wrong? Is she sick? I am prepared to care for her"

"Well not physically. Leia is a twin. She has a twin brother. When they were younger we were willing to split them up. But now, Leia is very sensitive and has unique tantrums. Luke, her brother, is the only one who can manage her"

Vader sat back in his chair. He had come prepared for one child. Two? He wasn't sure he could handle that. He studied the patterns the raindrops were making on the window. "Let me see him?" he asked in an odd distant voice.

Mrs. Akan raised her eyebrow and flipped through a couple of profiles and stopped on a boy. Unlike his sister, he had dark blonde hair and blue eyes. But both kids faces held a cherubic feature. Like angels. Vader froze at the shudder that thought produced. _"Are you an angel?"_

He pushed the memory away back into the dark corners of his mind. Mrs. Akan had now pulled up Leia's profile and the two holograms stared down at Vader. The wide smiles and the eyes willing Vader, almost controlling his thoughts. "Can I adopt them both?"

Mrs. Akan didn't seem to be expecting this. "Are you sure? These two are rather complicated. They are behind in school. They both tend to throw tantrums and cry a lot. They need a lot of hands on parenting. They can't just be shacked off to school and brought home on the holidays."

"I had no intention of doing that. Mrs Akan, you don't seem to realize that is exactly what I need. What I want, to care for someone, to spend time with them."

Mrs Akan lifted her chin and studied Vader. After a while she nodded. "Do you want to meet them?" she asked finally.

Vader nodded, suddenly nervous. He shoved the feeling away with annoyance. Mrs. Akan stood up and led him down the corridor outside her office. She pointed out the orphanage classrooms, cafeteria and outside playground. She continued down the hallway and stopped outside a large indoor playroom. She gestured to Vader to enter along with her. He followed her, his hands clasped behind his back.

Vader looked at the room filled with children and felt suddenly nervous. He could feel his palms sweating and hoped Mrs. Akan couldn't see how close to frightened he was. Kids ran about the room, others sat playing. A few fought over toys and some mooched in silence. Mrs. Akan led him through the chaos and loud yelling. She paused to speak with one of the minders who pointed her in the twins direction.

As they approached the rug where Luke and Leia sat, Vader could feel a strong pull from the two children. The twins had a very distinct and familiar force signature. Vader hang back and Mrs. Akan approached the twins alone. He stood awkwardly as Mrs. Akan bent down and spoke to the twins. Both looked up at her their eyes wide. She pointed to Vader and the twins turned around and stared at him. Vader cleared his throat and smoothed his robes self consciously. Mrs. Akan beckoned him. Vader took a deep breath and walked to her. She smiled at him encouragingly. Mrs. Akan was hoping the twins and the odd man would get along.

"Luke, Leia, this is Mr. Skywalker. Say hello" she said leaning down.

"Hello Mr. Skywalker" the two chorused looking at Vader in curiosity.

Vader went down to one knee and smiled slightly. "Hello" Vader hoped his voice didn't betray his emotion. Something felt right about these two.

In person, Leia's eyes looked like they were constantly on the brink of tears. She held an old rag doll and clutched it around the neck tightly. Luke's eyes held a resigned hopelessness but sparkled now as he appraised Vader. He had a speeder toy by his feet.

"He's handsome" Leia said after an awkward silence to Mrs. Akan who laughed.

"Oh Leia. What do you think Luke?" she asked the boy who was still silent.

Luke cocked his head to the side, stared up at Vader. "What do you do for fun?" he asked.

Vader was startled at the question. He hadn't done anything fun in ages. But he supposed his job was to win these kids over. "Well, I like podracing and fixing things. Generally anything with piloting involved" he said after a moments thought.

Luke's eyes lit up. "Podracing? I like racing!"

Leia frowned at this not as enthused as her brother. "Can you tell a good bedtime story?" she asked.

"I don't know about that. I haven't had much practice...But I am sure you two could teach me how to"

Leia seemed happy with answer and posed another question. "Will we have a mommy?" she asked. "Are you married?"

Vader flinched. Padmé. She would probably fall in love with these two. She was such a gentle soul. "I'm not married anymore, so no you won't"

"What happened to her?" Leia asked softly as if feeling his pain through the force.

"She died. Pity, she would have loved you" Vader said painfully. Of course if Padmé was alive, he wouldn't be here. He thought with a painful tug at his heart.

Leia lowered the rag doll she was holding and walked to him and put her little arms around his neck. Her hug comforting him more than any words could do. Vader froze as his heart did a flip-flop in his chest. Slowly he put his arms around the tiny body. He felt so inadequate and large. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. He couldn't be a father. Leia stood back after a while.

"Do you miss her?" she asked, noticing the pain in his eyes.

Vader swallowed. "Yes, everyday"

"Luke and I know about that don't we, Luke?"

Luke nodded. "We don't know our parents. They died in a speeder crash" he said picking up his speeder toy. "We miss them a lot."

Vader smiled dryly. "I guess we have something in common"

The twins nodded in unison. "Are you taking us today?" Luke asked. In their little minds, Vader was a perfect choice for a father. Broken and wounded like them.

Vader smiled at them and looked up at Mrs. Akan questioningly. She laughed and shook her head. "Luke, Leia, your new daddy has to sign some papers and that will take a few days. But don't worry, you'll be going with him soon"

"How soon?" Luke asked with a frown.

"Soon. I just wanted to make sure you all liked each other. I don't think we'll have any problems. Mr. Skywalker, if you'll come with me?" she said.

Vader regretted leaving the two children so soon. "It was nice to meet you Luke and Leia" he said. He was surprised as the two tag teamed him with a hug. He patted their backs awkwardly and stood up.

"You promise to come back for us?" Leia asked.

"I do, if I don't I promise to send someone for you" he said. He would have these two whether or not Mrs. Akan agreed. He was after all second in command. He would simply send troopers in for them. He stood up and smiled at them. The twins waved at him and their gaze followed him as he exited the room.

"They are a bit clingy. You aren't the first potential parent they have met. A couple came by and looked to adopt them. But unfortunately their paperwork fell through at the last minute. Everything was set and the twins had even packed. The poor things were devastated." she said in a low voice even though they had left the playroom.

Vader felt anger that the twins had to endure such pain. He privately swore that they would never suffer pain again. "So how long will the process take?" he asked.

"Well after several similar instances we now screen paperwork more closely. Everything seems in order with yours. Now you just sign the papers and contracts. Then we wait for the Empire's approval and their birth certificates to be sent to us. We have a copy but as the father you'll need the official from their medical center." Mrs. Akan replied.

"So a couple of days?"

Mrs Akan nodded. Vader felt slight irritation. But he couldn't complain, as a civilian he had to tow the line. He nodded and followed her into her office. A hour later he left as a father. Legally now, Luke and Leia were his. He had opted for a closed adoption not wanting to know about their past. That didn't matter. They were his now. He felt a smile cross his face. Maybe he could finally put to rest the nightmares that plagued him. He was someone's father now. He raised his cloak hood and walked into the falling rain. His comlink beeped.

"Vader"

"Milord? We have the latest in-tell on the Ushyk rebel base. The emperor wants you there at once"

Vader sighed. Back to reality. "Prepare the Executor. I will be there shortly". A niggling voice in his mind asked what the twins would think of what he was about to do. He pushed the thought away and got into his speeder. He cast one last look at the Orphanage. It was a nice old style building built of yellow stone and had many windows. Vader realized he felt calm for the first time in a years. Too bad it won't last long, he thought dryly.


	2. Dark Father

**Author's note: **I have to say I am extremely flattered by all the reviews! THANK You everyone, you really made my day! I noticed a lot of you want the twins back story, that will be coming up in later chapters but you won't have to wait too long… Without further ado…

A few weeks later -Orphanage, Alderaan

_Leia sat up in bed and looked around her. The large room was filled with small single beds that were all made neatly and...empty. Where was everyone? "Beata?" she asked cautiously as she slipped her feet to cold floor. The room was dark, and yet everyone was gone. Leia froze as she heard a soft chuckle coming from the closet behind her._

_She turned and let out a scream as the dark figure stepped out of the closet. _

_"Hello Leia" it said in a raspy._

_"Leave me alone!" Leia begged and turned to run. Her legs seemed to move in slow motion and suddenly the door that led out of the room seemed further than it had been before._

_Leia continued to run, noting the dark hooded figure was gaining on her. "Nooo!" she screamed as she felt the black hands grab her and she was swallowed into a dark vortex._

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><p>Shrill screams echoed through the corridor, reverberating off the walls. Mrs. Akan sat up in bed and sighed. <em>Not this again<em>, she thought to herself. It had only been a few days since the last incident and Mrs. Akan had been holding her breath that the girl was finally growing up. Apparently she had not. She slipped into her gown and hurried through the corridors and down the stairs to the landing of the girls wing in the orphanage. Sure enough in the middle of the landing, Leia sat cross-legged her head tilted back as she screamed shrilly. Her minder who stood nearby was close to tears as she tried to reason with the girl. However, Leia paid her no mind and continued with her piercing screams.

Mrs Akan covered her ears and rushed down. "What is it now Beata?" She asked the younger woman.

Beata turned to her, her eyes glistening with tears of frustration. "I don't know! She woke up screaming about the hooded man again. And when I told her there was no hooded man, she started screaming and ran down the hall!"

Mrs. Akan turned to Leia and scolded her. "Leia, stop that this instant and go back to bed" she said wagging a finger in Leia's face.

Leia stared at the finger in silent mutiny before she resumed screaming. Mrs Akan attempted to drag her up but only resulted in making Leia scream louder as she kicked uncontrollably.

"Leave her alone!" Luke yelled coming down the stairs from the boys' wing.

Mrs Akan sighed and released Leia. Leia fell dramatically to the ground and continued to kick wildly. Luke hurried to his sister's side. He gently knelt beside her and tentatively reached out to touch her. "Sissy?" he said comfortingly.

Leia looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. Luke smiled at her. "It's okay, Leia. I am here" he said.

Leia nodded and sobbed into her arms while Luke patted her head comfortingly. The two women watched on with bated breath. Several minutes later Leia had quietened down and Luke looked up. "She's asleep" he said in a whisper.

Beata released a sigh and cautiously picked Leia up and took her to her bed. Luke scurried off to his own bed and Mrs Akan turned to make her way to her bedroom.

Beata stopped her, "I can't deal with this Mrs. Akan. That's the third nightmare this week" she said. "She is starting to scare the other children, they are all starting to dream about hooded men"

"I know Beata. But..."

"And that screaming sets my nerves on edge and she never listens. I have several kids I look after without worrying about Leia shrieking at night" Beata continued her voice frantic.

Mrs Akan nodded. "I understand, Beata" she said. She thought of the twins pending adoption. "I'll see what I can do about it Beata. Try and get some sleep" she said to the frazzled minder.

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><p>Vader looked at the man in front of him in exasperation. This rebel was really testing his patience. Of course, he the dark lord wouldn't show his exasperation. Oh no, Lord Vader was well known for his effortless control. He killed without so much as a sneer. The last thing many people saw before they died was the cold expressionless face of Darth Vader. His eyes unblinking, showing a clear lack of emotion. There was no sympathy, no pride, anger, dominance, nothing. Just pure emptiness as if the man before them was not really human but a droid instead.<p>

"Tell me" Vader said in calm voice. It was soft and barely audible. But still sharp enough that the man being addressed flinched as though he had been cut.

"I...I...I was jjusst an undddeerling. I don't know anything about the leaders" He lied.

Vader nodded calmly. Force! he cursed. The man's mental shields were strong, if they hadn't been Vader would have penetrated them hours ago. . "An underling you say? Well then I suppose I will just have to take care of all the other ten underlings because you wouldn't speak, then?"

The man's face was already white but it paled more. "Two them are children...so young. Probably didn't ask to be in this mess but oh well" Vader continued mercilessly.

"I'mm...an...underling" the man stuttered.

Vader shrugged. "I understand" he said. He bent down to the tray beside him carrying some torture equipment and picked up a two pairs of disposable gloves. Wordlessly he slipped one pair on and handed the other pair to the trembling man.

"What's this for?"

"Oh you thought I was going to kill your comrades? Oh no, you will. I will just hold them down for you." Vader pressed a button on the small control panel to summon in the troopers.

The doors opened and two troopers dragged in a woman and tied her to a restraint chair. Her mouth was gagged and she squealed beneath it and struggled in her restraints.

"Put her over there." Vader said indicating to a spot in front the shocked rebel. After the trooper placed her in the chair, Vader stood behind her and held her shoulders to the back of the chair. Turning to the man Vader said. "Okay, now kill her"

"But..."

"I am giving you a chance to give your comrade an honorable death. Death by one's own colleague. Since you won't talk, DO it"

"But..."

"This is the result of your actions. Now deal with the consequences. Kill her" Vader said unkindly.

He had done this several times. Using the psychological effects of having to murder one's friend and comrade to break many strong-minded rebels. It always worked. Some cracked before, some immediately after, and some months later. But they always cracked. "Hurry up, I haven't all day."

The woman in the chair eyes widened as her comrade approached her. Vader had carefully selected her, because he felt a strong bond between the two. Tears ran down the woman's man raised his hand and before he lowered it again.

"I can't" he said in a pained voice.

"Oh yes you can, and you will. After all you're just an underling, I'm sure the big bosses you serve will understand" Came the unsympathetically reply. "You were just protecting their precious backsides"

"Please don't make me do this." the man begged

"Do you think I care one iota about your inabilities rebel? Well, apart from your lack of ability to speak that is. That does annoy me. But you made your decision not to talk" Vader said cruelly. "Now kill her, choke her till the life goes out"

"You're a monster!" The man yelled at him

Vader arched an uncaring eyebrow and didn't bother to dignify that outburst with an answer. He calmly stared at the man whose face was now twisted with hate and disgust as he faced Vader. Vader indicated to the rebel woman in the restraint chair. "She's waiting"

The man placed his shaky hand on the woman's throat. By now both were on the verge of sobbing.

_Lovers_, Vader thought in disgust. The woman nodded to the man and he began to squeeze slightly, his hold was gentle as if he were handling glass.

Vader arched an amused eyebrow, deciding to push things along, he raised his own hand and used a slight force suggestion to control the man's hand into choking the woman. The woman's eyes began to bulge and the man looked panicked as she began to make gagging sounds. She released a gasp and her friend unable to take it, released his hold with cry. Vader smirked at his simple trick as the man stared at his hand in horror and puzzlement.

"I CAN'T do it. I'll talk, I'll talk." he said. He collapsed to his knees and began sob helplessly.

Vader waved the clones over and they took the woman out. Vader turned his attention to the broken man in front of him. "Talk" he said in dark voice.

"They don't give us much information. We were just an outlying base, we are not that important." He said in low voice. Vader rolled his eyes and folded his arms getting ready to summon the troopers again. The man noticed this and quickly added. "They did send two rebel leaders. Both were founders of the alliance I think."

"And who were they?" Vader asked.

"I just know the full name of the woman, a code name probably. She had a slight Coruscanti accent, but something else, a softer one like that of a Nubian"

"What's her name?"

"Black Rose"

Vader snorted. A code name no doubt. "And the man?"

"He was quiet, he let her do all the talking. I got the opinion he was really just there to guard the woman. Black Rose, she called him Ben. They seemed close"

"Describe them"

"They wore cloak hoods most of the time. But the woman had shoulder length dark hair. The man had a beard. He was graying slightly. I can't...remember anythin..g else" the young man stuttered.

Vader stared at the man, studying him to decide if he was telling the truth. Finally, convinced, He used the force to lift the man against the wall. "You have certainly been helpful. For that reason, I'll make this quick. It's more merciful that way don't you think?" He said using his hands to pin the man's hands to the wall.

Confusion and fright reflected in the man's eyes"But you said..."

"That I wanted information. You gave it, you are no longer useful to me and I doubt you are useful to your friends now that you've tattled." Vader said placing his hand on the man's throat and beginning to squeeze merciless.

He watched indifferent while the man blubbered for air. Vader could see the fear and disbelief in the man's eyes as his air supply cut off. Moments later Vader exited the prison cell and wiped his hands with a cleansing wipe.

"Take care of it" he said to the three troopers and Captain Piett who were waiting outside.

Two of them wordlessly entered the cell not needing an explanation of what 'it' was. The third trooper and Captain Piett stayed. "What of the others Milord?" Piett asked.

"Kill them" Vader said carelessly turning to leave.

"Oh and Milord?"

"What is it Captain Piett?" Vader asked tiredly.

"A Mrs Akan called. She said something about the children being ready for pick-up?"

Vader stilled. He trusted Captain Piett and had allowed the man to manage some parts of his personal business that Vader couldn't be bothered with.

Mrs. Akan wasn't supposed to contact him for another month. What had changed? A rush of emotions filled the dark lord. His twins! They were finally coming, they were finally coming home.

"Thank you Piett, prepare my ship for departure" Vader didn't bother to address the look of confusion on Piett's face.

"Yes sir" the puzzled man said as Vader turned to leave. Vader made his way to his personal quarters on the ship. He had to report his recent findings to the emperor. He initiated the call and waited patiently on his knee for his master to answer.

"Lord Vader. You have news for me"

Vader never pretended that he liked the sound of his master's voice. "Yes my master" he said. "The rebels didn't know much as they are just an outlying base. However one of the founders of the alliance visited them. She used a code name. Black Rose. Apparently she had a bodyguard"

"Hmm. This confirms that there is an active female rebel leader making trips to the rebel bases. Start investigating it at once."

Vader pulled a face and was glad he faced the floor so Palpatine couldn't see his scowl. Palpatine droned on. "Did you get a description of these two leaders?"

Vader kept his eyes to the floor and nodded. "Yes my master"

"I want them found, make it a priority. And if you happen to find bases while looking for these two then destroy them"

Vader was glad when the call ended, he sat in a chair and exhaled. His master was a fool. Many wondered if the young sith lord was ambitious, since he seemed to follow Palpatine's orders blindly. Some thought he was spineless. They were gravely mistaken. Vader was ambitious, but recently he had learned patience. He waited for the perfect opportunity to get rid of his master. For now he followed the old fool's orders. Whether they made sense or not. Vader gave a snarl. How exactly was he to conjure up the two elusive rebels? After a while a thought struck him. He paged Captain Piett.

"Your ship is ready Milord." Piett answered.

"Good. Piett do you still have the holodisks from the Ushyk rebel base?"

"Umm yes my lord."

"Get me all the ship numbers, I want to know every ship that landed there. The ship make, model, license, everything. Do you understand?"

"Yes Milord. What are we looking for?

"Just do it" Vader growled.

He cut the connection and stood up. He walked to his room and packed a change of clothes. He should be in Alderaan by the end of the day. The corridors were empty as Vader made his way to his ship. Just as Piett said it stood ready and waiting. As Vader flew his personal ship out of the hangar he wondered about this trip. What would it be like when he brought the twins home? They would live in Coruscant of course. Vader didn't intend for them to board the Executor unless absolutely necessary.

_This is for you Padmé_, he thought as he clutched the control stick. _All for you_.


	3. I'm scared Father

**Author's note: **Once again, thank you for all the reviews! Y'all are really awesome! I wasn't sure how this story would be received since its very AU. But I am glad y'all seem to like it so far. Lots of interest on the identities of Black Rose and Ben. Some of you have already made guesses….but I am not saying anything on that right now. :D. For now enjoy!

Also a huge thank you to my beta Kolodey.

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><p>Vader paced up and down in the small waiting area. He had arrived in Alderaan a few hours ago, only to be swamped with a myriad of forms and paperwork to fill out. He had placed his name to so many things he could now see his signature floating around in neon colors. Shaking his head to clear his vision he paused by a window and looked out the window for the fifth time. Outside the sun danced playfully through clouds, its reflection causing light and dark patches on the much abused lawn outside the orphanage.<p>

_How much longer?_ Vader thought with a growl. At that very moment the small doors to his left opened and Mrs Akan exited. Behind her came a young female minder and the twins. Luke and Leia carried small beige generic backpacks. Their little faces lit up when they saw Vader. Luke dropped his backpack and ran to Vader. Vader surprised himself by bending down and lifting the boy in his arms. Luke beamed up at him.

"I told Leia you would come back. I had a good feelin'" he said.

Vader felt a small smile cross his face. He realized how awkward the expression felt. He looked down at Leia who stood shyly behind Mrs Akan. He knelt down slowly and stood Luke on the floor. The boy still clutched at him.

"Hello Leia" Vader said in what he hoped was a soft voice. He held out his hand toward the girl.

Leia eyed his hand for a while before she stepped out from behind Mrs Akan. She ignored Vader's hand and gave him a shy hug. Mrs Akan smiled. "Mr. Skywalker, the twins are very happy to be going home with you." She paused uncertain and cleared her throat. "However, we have a small request"

Vader groaned inwardly. He had expected this. More paperwork and forms. He looked at Mrs Akan's neck and pondered how easy it would be to snap the thing and put a stop to her endless requests and requirements

"Yes?" he said out loud in a forced pleasant tone. No need to give her second thoughts about me. Vader smiled thinly realizing if he acted on his thoughts she wouldn't be having any second thoughts.

Encouraged by his smile Mrs Akan continued. "It's protocol that when a new child is adopted the family visit with one of our therapists for a full year. They do so to see if the children are settling in well, as well as guide the new parent in their role. It is really to your benefit..."

Vader tuned out the words after "therapist" and nodded as though he was listening. Protocol? Like hell, he was second in command in the galaxy. He did not have time to sit in some shrink's office listening to the fool tell him how to raise his kids. Out loud he said. "Of course Mrs Akan. But the twins and I will be residing in Imperial Center, I don't see how this would work"

"We'll live in Imperial Center? Cool!" Luke said.

Mrs Akan shot the boy a look at the interruption. "I understand, but we have several accredited therapists and counselors in Co...on the Imperial Center for you to see. Shall I get the list?"

Vader nodded numbly. So much for getting out of the therapy. "Is this all the twins luggage?" he asked indicating the backpacks the twins carried.

Leia answered him. "Yes, we don't have much stuff, just the necessities" she said in a low voice.

Vader frowned and stood up. He had grown up with so little, first as a slave then as a Jedi. He was used to going without luxuries and extra fancies. But something in him balked at the idea of bringing up the twins before him the same way. No. They would everything they wanted and much more.

Mrs Akan disappeared down the hall to her office and reappeared shortly. She ran off a list of people Vader neither cared to know nor acknowledge. Mrs Akan began to frown as he turned down therapist after therapist.

"Owen Kenobi, a therapist who has worked with numerous families dealing with loss and adoption..."

"What?" Vader asked his mind reeling. He hadn't heard that last name in four years. Was it possible that this Owen was related to his former master? Vader was surprised at the mild curiosity he felt.

"Owen Kenobi, his offices are not in the Imperial City, that is a bit out of the way from you" Mrs Akan said.

Vader shook his head. "It might be, but he sounds promising. Set our appointment with him"

Mrs. Akan gave him a quizzical look before she tacked into her datapad. "Okay you have an appointment with him in three weeks from today" She said.

_Now why would I do something so stupid? _Vader wondered. He would probably kill the man upon laying eyes on him. "Is that all Mrs. Akan?" he asked failing to hide the frustration in his voice.

She laughed. "Yes Mr. Skywalker you are free to go" she said.

Vader looked down at the twins who had slipped their tiny hands in his. "Well are you two ready to go?"

"Yes!" They chorused.

Mrs Akan smiled. "Do I get a goodbye hug, Luke and Leia?" she asked.

The twins turned around and went to hug her. When Mrs. Akan tried to release them, the two clung to her. Vader sensed their fear through the force and felt a glimmer of understanding. The twins were leaving the only place they had ever known to go off with a complete stranger. To reassure them, he smiled at them and held out his hands. He felt a pang of relief when they took his hands again. "Goodbye , and thank you" Vader was shocked to discover he meant it.

Mrs Akan looked touched at the reticent man's thanks. She placed a hand to her heart and gave a laugh. "You are welcome, Mr Skywalker. I hope you make a difference in each other's lives" Mrs. Akan said her eyes filling with tears.

Vader nodded and headed to the twins waved shyly and allowed Vader to lead them out. Vader helped the twins climb into the small rented speeder. Vader hadn't wanted to draw too much attention by using one of his own luxury speeders. As Vader started the speeder, the twins turned and watched as the orphanage disappeared from their view in silence. As Vader watched them, he recognized their mixed emotions.

_"I can't do it, Mom. I just can't." Anakin said, tears splashing down his cheeks._

_Shmi grabbed her son into a tight hug. "Ani" she said soothingly. "Remember when you climbed the great dune in order to chase the Banthas away so they wouldn't be shot... Remember how you collapsed several times, exhausted thinking you couldn't do it?" she asked with a smile._

_Anakin shook his head._

_His mother continued. "Well this is one of those times when you have to do something_

_you don't think you can do. I know how strong you are, Ani. I know you can do this..."_

_Anakin wiped his tears and sniffed "Will I ever see you again?"_

_Shmi wiped the streaks her son had made on his face. "What does your heart tell you?"_

_Anakin thought for a moment. "I hope so...yes...I guess."_

_His mother smiled sadly and nodded. "Then we will see each other again."_

_Anakin squared his shoulders. "I.. will become a Jedi and I will come back and free you, Mom...I_

_promise."_

_"Oh Ani. No matter where you are, my love will be with you. Now be brave, and_

_don't look back... don't look back." she said._

_Anakin felt the tears threatening to spill over again. "I love you so much."_

_Shmi hugged Anakin. She released him with a sad smile and then turned him around so he faced Qui-gon, Anakin took a gulp of breath and marched off. He marched right past Qui-gon, staring right ahead. __**Dont look back, Don't look back**__. The little boy repeated to himself._

Pushing the memory aside Vader turned to the twins and gave them a small smile. "It will be fine, just think of the new adventures ahead of you." He said. "Trust me, I have been exactly where you are"

"You have?" Leia asked turning her large brown eyes to look at him. Vader felt a stab of pain in his chest. For a moment, he almost thought it was Padmé looking at him for reassurance. _You are in too deep in your head_, Vader growled to himself. Realizing Leia was still waiting for an answer he nodded. "Yes, when I was nine I had to leave my mother. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do"

"Did you see her again?" Luke asked.

Vader's jaw clenched. "No" he lied. He felt the twins sympathetic gaze on him and bit in the inner rage he felt inside. He didn't need their pity. Shmi was Anakin's mother, he was free of all feelings that had made Anakin weak. He allowed the dark side to wash over him and relaxed. Turning back to the twins, he gave them a slight smile. "Just don't look back" he said."That's what my mother said"

The twins nodded and fixed their gaze determinedly straight ahead. Vader watched them in faint amusement. They were so much like he had been. Yes, Shmi had been right, don't look back. Vader looked at the twins and vowed not to look back on his past. The twins were his new future, and he would not fail them. Not like he had failed others he had loved in the past. Vader glided the speeder easily through traffic.

"Best advice I ever got" he muttered under his breath.

* * *

><p><em>Leia looked around her. It was dark and cold. The floor felt wet to the touch, but that was just the cold. A tiny light hovered over and something moved in the shadows. A clink sounded.<em>

_"Who's...ss..there?" the little girl asked._

_A hooded figure stepped out into the light. It was huge and rounded and Leia gave a scream._

_The hooded figure approached and sneered. "Oh yes..." it said. "You will do nicely" _

_He stepped closer revealing ugly orange red eyes inside the darkness of the hood. "I will have you yet" he reached out a hand and grabbed her._

_"NO! Please leave me alone!" _

"Leia! Leia, wake up" A deep voice said.

Leia eyes opened and seeing the hooded figure in front of her, she screamed and scrambled to the edge of the bunk as far from it as possible. In her haste she bumped her head on the metal of the bunk bed. "Ow!" Leia sobbed. The lights flickered on and Leia cowered in the corner.

"Sweetheart, come here. It was just a nightmare" a comforting voice said.

Leia peeked out from her blanket and stared in front of her shaky relief. Vader was by her bunk kneeling, his face framed by a dark cloak was filled with concern. Leia burst into tears and crawled across the bed to him quickly. Vader picked her up and hugged her. Leia clung to him and sobbed into his cloak, taking comfort in the thing that had earlier frightened her. Vader stroked her hair till her tears subsided.

"See, it was just a dream" he said gently pulling her away from him. He placed her back on the bed. She lay down uneasily.

Leia nodded and clutched his hand, keeping Vader from standing up. Vader sat in the awkward kneeling position for a few minutes, as she drifted into sleep. Soon Leia's breathing became regular and even. Vader brushed her mind with the force, to make sure she was asleep. He carefully disentangled his large hand from her tiny fingers and stood up slowly. He looked at Luke who lay fast asleep on the top bunk. The boy hadn't stirred during his sister's screams, which had reached Vader from the cockpit. Not only that, he had felt her fear tremors through the force. Vader turned off the lights and walked to the door, he was just about to exit when he heard a squeal and Leia floundered off the bed dragging her blanket behind her. She clutched his legs.

"Don't leave me!" she said, her tiny voice filled with fear. "Your presence is soothing"

Vader nearly choked. Was this some cruel joke? "My presence is soothing?" he repeated.

"Yes, it's hard to explain, but you feel warm and fuzzy, but I can't really tell, it's kinda dark too. But like a ewok doll"

Vader stared at her. Was she force sensitive? Just his luck. He bent down and picked Leia up, blanket and all. She snuggled into his shoulder and was drowsing by the time he had reached the cockpit. Vader sat in the pilot's chair with her in his arms and watched the blackness of space out of the ship's window quietly. He moved when Leia let out a deep breath and shuddered.

He nudged her face with his hand gently. "Hey, what's up?"

Leia gave a tiny sigh and her eyes fluttered open. "I'm scared Father" she said.

Vader stared down at the sleepy Leia in shock, as a warm feeling washed over his heart. _Father_. She had called him "father". In a matter of hours of having the twins, they had turned his world upside down. Already he felt instinctively protective towards them. He gulped and patted her head. "I know, but there is no reason to be. I won't let anything happen to you" he promised.

"Ever" he said as he pressed her small helpless body against him.

* * *

><p>Across the galaxy a older man woke up at the strange currents flowing in the force. He focused on them and felt the large currents of love mixed with shock.<em> He is feeling love<em>.

"What does this mean?" he asked. "I need to speak with Master Yoda"

He stood up quickly and dressed in the dark.


	4. Conscience?

**Author's note: **Hey ladies and gents, lol. I am sorry it took so long to update, I didn't intend to have such a long break between updates. But school and sickness got in the way. As usual thank you for reading and reviewing, you really do inspire me to continue. I hope you enjoy. I wanted to get this chapter up and then we can get down to answering some questions you guys have had.

Thank you to my beta reader Kolodey. There would probably so many errors without you!

* * *

><p>Vader's arms were numb. Moments after Leia had fallen asleep, Luke had come in running. The boy had muttered something about the hooded man talking to him in his sleep. Vader looked down at the two sleeping children curled up in his arms. It was all happening as his dreams had predicted. The frightened children, Vader comforting. Vader took it as a sign that he was on the right track. Perhaps now the nightmares that plagued him would finally stop.<p>

Vader felt his heart swell with an unfamiliar feeling as the twins snuggled into him for warmth. He maneuvered his hand and used the force to cover them with Leia's blanket. He watched their peaceful sleeping faces and felt slightly envious of their slumber. Vader sighed and stifled a yawn. He never, if ever slept. He had trained his body to go days without sleep and subsisted on a few hours of sleep at a time, fearing nightmares or force visions that mocked him with his past. But something about looking after the children had him exhausted. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and fought to keep awake. No point in sleeping now, they were minutes from Imperial Center...

_Padmé sat watching the sunset. Anakin came up from behind her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"_

_His wife jumped and turned around. "You startled me" she said. _

_Anakin sat next to her on the bench, noticing she looked a little tired. "How are you feeling?" He asked concernedly._

_Padmé gave a small smile. "He keeps kicking." _

_"He?! Why do you think it's a boy? "_

_Padmé laughed and tilted her head. "My motherly intuition."_

_She took his hand and placed it on her belly. Anakin's eyes widened when he felt the firm kick from within. "Whoa! With a kick that strong, it's got to be a girl." _

_Padmé looked at him and they both laughed._

Vader's eyes snapped open to the loud incessant beeping coming from the dashboard of the ship, signifying it was time to transfer out of hyperspace. He looked down at the stirring twins and moved Luke slightly to transfer the ship out of hyperspace. It was a few moments before the ship floated above the Imperial Capital. Vader yawned and carefully extracted his other numb arm from beneath the twins sleeping forms. He stretched them and dug his fingers into his palms to work the feeling back into them. After a while a droning bored voice came through the communication device asking for his clearance. After giving the details of who was entering the airspace, Vader listened in mild amusement at the stuttering man's permission to enter airspace. Minutes later Vader landed the ship in his personal hangar. He stood up and lifted the twins on his shoulders. Using the force he waved the door open and stepped out into the quiet dark early morning. A clone trooper of his own private security hurried to him.

"Lord Vader! We were not expecting you home. Am I mistaken?" The trooper asked.

"No, I will only be here briefly. Secure the parameter and I want a diagnostic report on the hour"

The trooper inclined his eyes toward the two sleeping children. "Yes sir! Anything else?"

Vader gave the man a glare and watched as he scuttled off. He entered the turbo lift and was glad of the force as it enabled him to select his floor without moving the twins. Vader looked down at them and sighed_. They look so peaceful..._ he thought to himself. The doors opened to reveal a loft penthouse. Vader hadn't had much use for this particular house as several other people lived in the building. He had purchased it mainly because of its private hangar. The tall building held several other apartments that held a number of reputable members of the Imperial Government living in them. The two floors beneath Vader's were empty giving the dark lord the privacy he desired. Palpatine was pleased that Darth Vader owned an apartment in the building. This way Vader could have his privacy and terrorize the imperial officials who resided beneath him.

Vader's other homes in Imperial Center were uncomfortably close to the Imperial Palace and not very child friendly. This one however, had been the home of a senator who had had a family. Uninterested in serving under the Emperor's regime, the senator had sold his home and returned to his planet with his family. The penthouse was decorated with white washed walls and grey and blue furniture. Vader hadn't bothered to change much of the house, since he was rarely in the Imperial Center and even rarely at this penthouse. He preferred his quarters on the Executor. However, recently a decorator had been contracted by Vader to decorate the large bedroom that was to belong to the twins.

Vader boots made a slight thud on the wooden floor as he walked towards the bedroom. It was a large rectangular shaped room. One of the shorter sides of the room led to a fresher and the opposite side held a large window overlooking Imperial Center. Double beds adorned each end with softer girlish pastel tones on one end and sharper blues on the other. The middle of the room was designated as a play area. On the floor lay several of the latest toys to be found lay brand new in the center. Some of the toys had not been released on the market yet. Vader had insured his children would have nothing but the best.

Careful not to wake Luke, Vader gently disentangled the boy's arms from around him and placed him on the one bed. He did the same with Leia and used the force to gently drape blankets over them. He glanced outside at the still dark horizon and closed the curtains. After making sure the twins were asleep, Vader withdrew quietly to his own room. Unable to shake off the fatigue he felt Vader sat on his bed and kicked off his boots. As he undressed he glanced around the bare room and suddenly felt lonely. There were several reasons he didn't sleep besides the nightmares. For one, he seemed to miss_ 'Her' _the most when he was in bed alone. However, this time Vader was so tired that he fell asleep almost instantly.

A few hours later, Vader sat up with a frown. The rays of the morning sun shone directly in his face. His face felt annoyingly hot and itchy. He glanced at his chrono and cursed. _0900 standard hours_. He had slept for over six hours. Vader swung his legs off the side of the bed and held his slightly pounding head in his hands. Exactly what how long had it been since he had actually slept? If possible, he felt worse than before he had slept. He was somewhat relieved that he had a dreamless sleep. Not that it had refreshed him much. Vader stretched and gave a lazy yawn. His yawn quickly turned into a groan as his comlink beeped. Snatching it he answered. "Vader" he said crossly.

"Lord Vader. You are in Imperial Center." The emperor's scratchy voice said.

Vader thought up a string of curses that he didn't dare utter. "Yes my master"

"May I ask why? Perhaps you didn't understand when I said I wanted the rebels to be made a priority?"

_Priority, my foot_. Vader thought. "I understood master"

"You better have a good explanation then Vader" Palpatine said.

Vader thought for a while. "I was pursuing a lead, my master. My crew is still investigating and searching the holodisks found at the Ushyk base. These things do take time"

"And?"

"Well I decided to leave them at it while I took some personal time"

"Of course it didn't occur to you that your crew may be slacking as their master is. If you project that this isn't important then they won't take it seriously." Palpatine bellowed.

Vader exhaled slowly so Palpatine wouldn't hear him. "I'll leave in the hour Master." he said.

"Very good."

"Is that all master?"

"Yes Lord Vader. I look forward to hearing a positive report from you"

Once the call ended, Vader released his torrent of curses and hurled the comlink at the wall. It crashed into the wall with loud noise and split into several pieces.

"Did it die?"

Vader spun around. Luke stood at the door staring at him with wide eyes. Vader closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He willed his eyes not to reflect the sithly rage he felt and opened them when he felt decidedly calmer. Turning to Luke he pulled up a smile.

"Good morning Luke, did you sleep well?"

Luke nodded and glanced at the shattered comlink. "Are we in Imperial Center?" he asked cautiously.

Vader nodded and beckoned Luke. "Yes, do you want to see?" Luke stared at him before he stepped into the room and walked to Vader. Vader picked him up and took him to the balcony. He opened up the door and stepped into the cool slightly muggy air of Imperial Center morning. Luke gave a shocked gasp as the whole view of Imperial Center seemed to be sprawled before them.

"It's like we are in the sky!" he said.

Vader found himself laughing. "Well technically we are. This is a pretty tall building" he said. Thinking the boy might want to explore the balcony, Vader asked. "Do you want to get down?"

Luke shook his head and clung tighter. "No thanks" he mumbled.

Vader felt a small rush of pleasure that Luke felt safe with him. He spent the next few minutes pointing out places of interest in the skyline to Luke before they went back inside. "Where's your sister?"

"Leia? She usually sleeps in real late when she has nightmares. Like last night"

"You knew she had a nightmare?" Vader was shocked.

"I always know, I feel it through our twin 'nection'"

"Your what?" Vader asked puzzled.

"Twin 'nection'. I can feel when she is angry, sad, scared, and sometimes we even talk to each other through our minds!"

Vader frowned and placed Luke down as a thought struck him. He reached out with the force and was surprised when he felt Luke's powerful force signature. He had never felt one so powerful before, not even Master Yoda's. Was this how his felt to other force sensitive beings? He slowly knelt in front of Luke. "Luke, do you feel this 'nection' with other people?"

Luke considered for a while. "Not really, we don't know that many other people."

"Luke I am going to try something, would you keep a calm mind?"

Luke looked puzzled but nodded.

Vader took a deep breath and focused on communicating to Luke through the force. /_Can you hear me Luke?_/

Luke jumped, startled. "How'd you do that?" he asked with wide awed eyes.

Vader laughed in amusement. "Simple just look at me and try and tell me something"

Luke then proceeded to try Vader's trick and stared at Vader intently. Vader found himself struggling to keep a straight face at the boy's odd intense gaze. After a few moments Luke exhaled disappointed. "I can't"

"Focus on me" he instructed the boy. "Can you sense me Luke?" Vader wondered if that sounded odd to the boy, but Luke nodded immediately. "Okay, good. Now just project what you want to tell me"

Luke nodded and bit his lip, Vader could feel him drawing on the force and wasn't surprised when he heard Luke's soft words in his mind. _/I once stole ten credits from Mrs. Akan's drawer/_

Vader gave the boy an amused look. "You did?"

"You heard me!"

"Of course. You are a very special boy Luke"

"Can Leia be special too?"

"I am sure she is. If you are" Vader said.

He was unsure how he felt about having adopted force sensitive twins. He had just wanted a child. Now he had two and they were more than likely very force sensitive. Vader realized he would soon have to focus on training them to hide their force sensitivity from others. Particularly his master. He would later begin training them but for now he would teach them to how to reign in their power to prevent accidents that would no doubt happen if they remained untrained. A whimper sounded in the other room and Vader gave a thin smile when he heard it.

"Looks like your sister is awake. Are you hungry?" he asked standing up.

Luke nodded and clasped Vader's hand. They made their way to the other room where they found Leia staring around the room from the center of her bed. When she saw Vader she gave a squeak and darted to him, dragging her blanket behind her. Vader felt a rush of pleasure again as bent to pick her up. He allowed her the comfort of her blanket as she burrowed into his shoulder.

"Good morning Leia, are you hungry?" he asked.

Leia shook her head and burrowed deeper into his shoulder. Vader looked at Luke who shrugged. Vader walked to the kitchen. He placed Leia on the ground and headed to the conservator. He turned in surprise when he felt both twins following close behind him. Vader opened the door and sighed. His refrigerators were always stocked despite the fact he rarely cooked or even ate while he was home. However, if he had returned from his ship and discovered his fridge empty, most likely there would be dead body on hand. His eyes skimmed over the collection drinks and food. What did one normally feed four year olds?

"What do you two want to eat?" he asked finally.

"Can you make pancakes?" Leia asked hopefully.

Vader felt a slow grin cross his face. Could he make pancakes? He ought to be able to make decent pancakes after the amount he had consumed in his youth.

"Of course sweetheart" he said, remembering how often he had plagued Obi-Wan with that same question.

He frowned at the memory of Obi-Wan. It had been a good memory of his former master and Vader was not inclined to have any of those. He was still bitter over his master's betrayal on Mustafar. Vader retrieved the eggs, milk and butter from the fridge and pushed the thoughts of his past life from his mind. Being with the twins was bringing up too many unwanted memories. Once more the twins followed him to the counter and all the way around the kitchen while he made the pancakes. Vader smirked. His officials would probably faint dead away at the sight of him, the great second-in-command cooking.

Luke beamed at the pile of pancakes Vader placed before Leia and him. Vader handed them plates and stood against the counter and watched as the twins ate. Leia had a more dainty air and a smaller appetite. Luke however, seemed to inhale his food. After eating he looked up to Vader with pleading eyes.

"May I have some more please?" he asked holding up his plate.

Vader stifled a laugh and turned to use the rest of the batter.

"Aren't you eating?" Leia asked with a frown noting Vader had not prepared his own plate.

"I am not hungry right now" Vader said.

Leia watched as Luke ate his second plateful of pancakes. "Luke likes to eat" she said in an observant tone that sounded mature beyond her age.

"Hmm? Well Luke is a growing boy. I was just the same if not worse at that age" Vader said. "How old are you Luke?"

"Four, we'll be five in a few weeks" he said between bites. "I think"

Vader nodded and made a mental note that the twins birthday was coming in a few weeks. He scowled realizing Empire Day and its ridiculous festivities were also approaching. The house door chime buzzed and Vader frowned. Gesturing to the twins he said "I'll be back. Stay here".

As Vader walked to the door, he thought of a way to punish the clone who had dared disturb him. He opened the door and glared at the quivering clone. "What is it? Before I kill you?" Vader hissed in a low voice.

"Ppppardon me Miloord...bbbb...but the Emperor contacted us. He has been trying to reach you" The clone said.

Vader cursed and turned around to make sure the twins weren't around. "Well, tell him to keep trying" he said carelessly. He shut the door in the clone's face and walked to the kitchen cursing his master.

He walked back to the kitchen where he found the twins talking in hushed whispers. "What's the secret?" he asked.

The two jumped apart. Luke nudged his sister and she colored up and shook her head. Luke nudged her again and Leia looked up with scared eyes. "We were wondering...well...if you have any other children"

Vader frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Please don't be angry!" Leia squeaked as she and Luke shrunk back from him.

Vader realized his face must look angry and he softened his features. "I am not angry Leia. Why were you wondering that?"

"Well, we saw a lot of toys and things in the room we slept in"

Vader blinked at the twins. "Those are for you" Vader said taken aback.

Luke's eyes widened. "All of them?"

Vader nodded. The twins were confounded. "But some of those toys are really expensive" Leia said quietly.

"Don't worry about that. I have more than enough money to spend on you two" Vader said stepping cautiously towards the twins, not wanting to see the frightened expressions on their faces again.

"So if they are ours, can we open them?" Luke asked excitedly.

Vader felt a small tight smile cross his face. "That is generally how people play with toys" he said drily.

Luke gave a whoop and hurried past Vader to the room. His excited exclamations could be heard from the kitchen and Vader and Leia exchanged amused looks. They followed his sounds of joy to the room and Vader felt satisfaction at the boy's youthful pleasure as he opened up toy after toy. Leia slipped past Vader and sat beside her brother admiring the delights in a much quieter manner. It was only when the twins had had enough of the toys before them that Vader took an uneasy breath. As much as he was enjoying the twins happy innocent pleasure, he had to get back to reality. Somehow the image of being aboard the cold impersonal Executor was no longer appealing.

"How do you two feel about a small trip?" He asked the twins.

"Cool!" Luke whooped as he got up and tripped over a package in the process and landed flat on his face on the small rug beneath him. "Where?" he asked from the floor.

"A ship in orbit just off the planet. I have some pressing business to attend to there." Vader said helping Luke up. He cast Leia a glance to gauge her reaction. "I really don't want to leave you here alone"

Leia gave him a smile. "Does it have a bigger cockpit than your ship?" she asked.

"It does. It's enormous" Vader said.

"I don't mind and I know Luke wants to go" She said. She stood up and picked her way across the messy room. She stood in front of Vader and patted his cheek. "You should smile more. It's nicer" she said.

Vader didn't know what to say to her comment and simply stared into her large brown eyes. "Okay Leia. Now, let's get you ready to go"

* * *

><p><em>Aboard the Executor, Vader's flagship<em>

Vader pulled up his cloak hood as he exited his personal ship. He preferred that his subordinates didn't see his face. Many worked under the dark lord without ever seeing his face. Many of them discussed what the young Sith lord looked like under the hood. Some speculated he looked old and haggard, others said he wasn't actually human but actually alien. The only two imperial officials who had seen the second-in-command face to face were Captain Piett and Commander Veers. When their peers puzzled over the dark lord's looks, the two listened to these speculations quietly. Most of the older men would probably be shocked and insulted to discover they were led by a young man of the age 27.

Captain Piett and Commander Veers stood at the foot of the ramp to meet the dark lord as he disembarked. "Oh my stars! Are those children?" Commander Veers whispered to his companion.

Captain Piett nodded. "Yes. I don't know the details, but they are his."

"What happened? Lady Vader divorced him and they been battling custody out?" Veers asked.

"How should I know?!" Captain Piett asked a little exasperated. "A Mrs. Akan called about picking them up. Besides, do you see there being a Lady Vader?"

Veers gave a snort. "Have you seen the guy? Of course there is or was a Lady Vader. Might be dead now. She was probably charmed by his looks and woke up married to the devil"

Piett simply gave his friend a scalding look in reply. Veers nodded and satisfied, with his own explanation. "Yep that's it. Custody battle. He used his power to get the decision swung in his favor"

"Don't be an idiot Veers. Maybe he adopted them"

"Nah! See the boy?" he said as he pointed out Luke "carbon copy of him, he could be Vader's clone" Veers said. "The girl now, she takes up from her mother. Don't you agree?" he said as Vader approached.

"Shut up!" Piett hissed, afraid the dark lord would hear Veers. "Good morning Lord Vader" He said standing to attention as Vader stopped in front of them.

"Captain Piett, do you have what I asked for?" Vader said without acknowledging the greeting.

"Yes sir. I have the ship's number and a secret message system. The coordinates are from Widow in the Chommel sector"

Vader grimaced beneath his cloak. "Widow? Why in the galaxy would anyone set up base on that barren rock waste?" he asked more to himself.

Veers and Piett understood this and kept silent. Luke and Leia peered at the two men with large eyes from behind Vader's legs. Veers gave them a small wink. Piett nudged his friend in horror. Vader watched on in silent amusement.

"Commander Veers, this is Luke and Leia. Are you good with children?" he said suddenly.

Commander Veers shrank visibly before him. He gulped and began to stutter. "I..uh...well...I have a son..."

"Very well. Luke, Leia go with the Commander. Commander I need not tell you what will happen to you if something happens to them, do I?" Vader's voice conveyed the not so subtle threat of certain death.

"Of course not Milord" Veers sputtered his hands rushing to his throat. He glanced at Vader's folded arms and felt foolish. He took the twins a small distance from Vader and Piett.

Vader gave him a tired look and turned to Piett. "Piett come with me. Where is Ozzel?"

"In the briefing room Milord,"

Vader muttered a curse and glared. "Doing what pray, do tell?"

"Deciding on an action concerning the inform...milord?" Piett stopped and ran after Vader who and had stalked off in the direction of the briefing room.

"I am going to kill that fool." the dark lord muttered. "Have my ship swept and the diagnostics ran, something's wrong with them. Then report to the briefing room immediately. You have ten minutes" The dark lord walked off, his cloak billowing due to his speed.

Commander Veers hurried to Piett's side. "Poor Ozzel, he is a fried bantha steak. Dead like a wampa, skewered like..."

Piett gave him a glare. "Do you ever shut up? There are children present!" he indicated with his head to where Luke and Leia stood quietly.

"Right, Vader's spawn" Veers whispered giving a slight shudder.

Piett's eyes widened. "Shut up! Do you want Lord Vader to hear you saying that?! I want no part of this" He said as he hurried to leave.

"Wait! Help me! What am I supposed to do with them?" Veers asked as he glanced warily at the twins. "How do I know the little devils won't force choke me or something?"

"They are two four year olds Veers. Man up and entertain them" Piett said unsympathetically before walking off to give directives to the troopers concerning Vader's ship.

Veers turned to the twins who watched him cryptically. He laughed nervously. "What do you two want to do?"

"Well, Dad said we could see the cockpit" Luke said.

Veers felt relief wash over him. That sounded simple enough. "Control room? Of course, right this way. I am Commander Maxmillian Veers by the way."

Leia and Luke smiled at him with cherub like smiles. "Nice to meet you Commander."

Veers eyed their smiles dubiously. _They might seem innocent but keep in mind who their father is_, he thought to himself. "Come on then"

* * *

><p>A few days later<p>

_Orbit in the Chommel sector_

Vader stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His officials scurried around working. Vader had no doubt they had not been slacking when he was gone. His men respected and feared him too much for that. But he knew better than bring that point up with Emperor. He felt a small smile flicker briefly across his face as he watched Commander Veers place Luke standing on a chair in front of a control panel. He explained the different buttons and their purpose to the little boy. Luke drank in the information with wide awed eyes. The entire crew had been very welcoming to the children. That's probably the because they feared the consequences if they weren't.

"Father?"

Vader looked down to where Leia stood beside him. Leia was far more clingy than her brother. She was by his side whenever he allowed it. "Yes Leia?"

"What planet is that?" She pointed out to a large bluish green planet not to far from them. It was truly beautiful.

Vader looked to where she pointed and stiffened, stifling his feelings aside. "That's Naboo. Do you like it?" he asked bending to pick her up to give her a better view.

"It's pretty" She said.

"It's even more pretty when you land. Perhaps we'll land there sometime." Vader said. "Captain Piett, what's our ETA?"

"Five minutes sir. We are trying to pick up the signal of the base" he said. "According to our data it should be at the western side of the planet."

Vader waved a hand. "Send in a platoon to sweep the area. I don't have time for you to find the signal" He just wanted to be done with this. "When you locate it, storm the base."

He cast a look at Leia who watched him, her brown eyes flickering. He decided not to mention that he wanted the rebels alive. He gave Piett a meaningful glance and the Captain understood.

"Yes milord. No casualties"

"Father? What are casualties?"

"Nothing little girls need to worry about"

It was several hours before the signal was located. The platoon then proceeded to storm the base. Vader was relieved the twins were fast asleep at this time. He had them taken to his private chambers and stood on the bridge watching as the small group of rebels were brought on board. _Great! Another haul to satisfy the Emperor_. Vader thought darkly. He rolled his shoulders and prepared himself for the interrogations ahead. His mind somehow decidedly balked at the idea of torturing the rebels with the twins on the same ship. _Perhaps I can postpone it for another few days_. Vader growled at his weakness and made his way down to the holding cells below to begin the arduous and dark process.


	5. The Lost Don't Get Found

**Author's note:** Hello everyone, long time no see! I could give excuses of school and schedules, but the truth is I am really sorry I took so long to update. So the plot begins to thicken with introduction of some beloved characters. Cliche I know. Once again hugs and kisses to all my readers and reviewers, my new ones, loyal ones, you're appreciated! Also a big thank you to Kolodey my beta! Enjoy! xoxox

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><p>Mrs. Akan stood up and opened the door of her office. She looked at her datapad. "Ms. Naberrie?"<p>

A petite figure stood up and walked into her office. A man wearing a hooded cloak followed close behind her. The woman had dark brown curly hair that fell to her shoulders. Her brown soft eyes reminded Mrs. Akan of a child who once had stayed in the orphanage. The woman was beautiful, but Mrs Akan noticed a heavy curtain of sadness hung over her by the defeated way her shoulders sagged and her pretty face was pinched together. When she spoke, Mrs Akan noticed her polished Coruscanti accent.

"What can I do for you?" Mrs Akan asked.

The woman glanced at the man beside her as if needing some sort of reassurance to mention the purpose of their visit. The man appeared to be some sort of a bodyguard or fatherly figure. His face remained hidden beneath his cloak. He nodded to the woman, who then spoke in a soft voice. "We are looking for twins, a boy and girl, sent here from another orphanage."

Mrs Akan sighed. This happened often, children got lost in the system and got sent to orphanages on other planets. This particular orphanage often received children from distant planets. "Are you sure they were sent to this orphanage?" she asked.

Ms. Naberrie nodded and her eyes filled with tears. "They were born in Polis Massa. But they did not have come directly from Polis Massa. In their first two years they were moved around a lot...I have been to several orphanages only to find they had been moved to another. But I spoke with someone at the adoption agency and someone said they had been here almost three years"

Mrs. Akan took a heavy breath and leaned forward. "Do you know their names?"

"Luke and Leia...Naberrie." The woman said almost silently as her eyes fell to her lap.

Mrs Akan's head jerked up suddenly at the mention of the names. "I'm sorry?" She enquired in a startled voice.

"Luke and Leia" the woman repeated as she looked up into Mrs. Akan's face "they should be about four, they will be five in a few weeks. I am their biological mother" she said in a stronger voice, as her gaze returned to her lap and Mrs Akan noticed a tear drop into her clasped hands.

Mrs Akan felt awful as a sudden realization hit her. For their first year, the twins had been listed as foster children, giving the impression that a parent was coming for them. But by their second year in Alderaan, the state wardens decided that their parents had most likely perished in an speeder accident and put them out for adoption. Unsure how to tell the clearly depressed woman she had missed her children again by a few weeks Mrs Akan cleared her throat.

"I know who you are talking about. They were here just two weeks ago." she paused uncertain whether to continue, the pretty young woman looked up and her eyes glimmered with hope. "I am afraid I have sad news...Luke and Leia were adopted"

The woman barely showed any emotion, but the small beam of light that had glimmered in her eyes earlier disappeared. However, the woman seemed like a trained actress. She held her face in a neutral mask.

"Oh...I see" is all she said. This was followed by an awkward silence. "But how were they allowed to be put up for adoption? I didn't sign my rights away" her voice wavered betraying her feelings.

Mrs. Akan shook her head sadly and pulled up the twins file on her datapad. As she glanced through it, she discovered true to the woman's word, the registered mother's name was Padmé Naberrie. Furthermore, she had not given her parental rights away.

"It says here the doctor made the executive decision since there were no relatives present and you were unconscious, and seemed close to death."

"But what about my friends? They were there to ensure the care of the children?" Ms. Naberrie asked in quiet tone.

Mrs Akan glanced at the twins profile and shrugged. "It says here that there was an attack nearby requiring the the evacuation of the medical center. The children were separated from you and unfortunately the system worked too efficiently this were taken to an orphanage and you were assumed to be incompetent." Mrs Akan paused and glanced at the two in front of her. When they said nothing she continued.

"Initially they were just supposed to stay in the Polis Massa orphanage till your recovery. However, when you were evacuated and no one came for the children, they were transferred to the care of state. Under the new imperial law, if children remain unclaimed for more than ten days they become wards of the Empire." she said. "They were in the system as foster children till they turned three. The social system decided you were either dead or not interested."

"I see" Ms. Naberrie nodded slowly her eyes glassy. Mrs Akan retrieved a tissue box and placed it in front of the woman. Ms. Naberrie took one and began to twist it fiercely. "Did they go to a good home?" she asked as her voice began to shake.

"Yes, a single parent home. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you. The parent opted for a closed adoption." Mrs. Akan truly felt sorry for the woman. It must be so heartbreaking to have come so close , only to be told she had missed her children by mere days. "I am so so sorry"

"That's alright" Ms. Naberrie stood up slowly. Her jaw was set firmly and determinedly as she swallowed her sobs. "Thank you for your time"

Mrs Akan showed them out and sat back at her desk. _How unfair life can be_, she thought to herself. She glanced down at the twins paperwork and sighed. There was no name listed for the father, but the mother was indeed _Padmé Naberrie_. She was listed as incompetent due to her condition after birth. She flipped to the section that held the adoption papers and stared at the name and sighed. _Anakin Skywalker_ had adopted the twins. Mrs Akan remembered the taciturn man and smiled. She wondered how he would react to the twins biological mother showing up at his doorstep claiming the twins as her own. Probably not very well. He had seemed like a very possessive person. She had seen the way he had reacted when the twins had not wanted to leave, his face had clenched up with fear and anger. No. He wanted the twins to be his completely.

Unable to shake the defeated look in Ms. Naberrie's beautiful eyes, Mrs Akan came to a decision. She stood up and ran after Ms. Naberrie and her friend. The two had already exited the building and were in their speeder. Mrs. Akan hurried to the speeder and hailed it down just as it was about to leave. The woman looked up at her puzzled. "Yes Mrs. Akan?"

Mrs Akan panted as she caught her breath. "I shouldn't be telling you this...but I really feel awful. The twins...were adopted by a single father. He lives in Imperial Center, in Imperial City. I am sorry but that's all I can tell you. Perhaps you and the twin's father could look into working some sort of arrangement with him" Mrs Akan indicated to the man beside Ms. Naberrie.

Ms. Naberrie looked pained and shook her head. "I am afraid that's completely impossible. I am no longer with their biological father and he doesn't know about them and I would prefer if it remained that way. But thank you." she indicated to the man next to her. " I guess my friend and I will look into it"

"Good luck again, I am really sorry" Mrs Akan smiled at the distressed woman and waved as they flew off.

* * *

><p>Padmé looked at the passing scenery as they flew through Alderaan. Her face was pinched into a tight frown. She looked fine, but Obi-Wan was almost drowning in the overwhelming sadness she was giving off into the force. Anakin had always joked that Padmé was force sensitive because her force presence was extremely prominent. At this point, Obi-Wan was inclined to think his former Padawan was right. As they neared the Organas summer house, Obi-Wan turned to Padmé and finally broke the silence. "What do you think?"<p>

"I don't know. Do you think Palpatine and Vader know...? I mean how can I keep missing them like this?" she asked her voice controlled.

"I don't think they know, Padmé . We ensured that they thought you were dead and that the child had died with you"

"That might as well be the truth" Padmé said bitterly.

"Padmé, please. We did what we had to protect you. _He_ was coming for you" Obi-Wan referred to his former padawan.

"Anakin wouldn't have hurt me!" Padmé snapped.

"Padmé you know that is not true" Obi-Wan shook his head viciously. "Vader is a monster, Padmé. I know you think there is good in him but there really isn't. Have you heard of how he tortures people? Besides he hurt you before, he wouldn't have hesitated to do it again"

Padmé looked away from Obi-Wan. She disagreed with him, she knew Vader was a monster and hated that the Emperor had taken her husband from her with every fiber of her being. But her Anakin couldn't be completely gone could he? "But the children..."

"I know, I've told you this a thousand times. Vader stormed the entire planet and we couldn't have reached them if we tried. The whole center was destroyed. We tried but an entire trooper platoon was sweeping the planet" He sighed. "Well, the force works in mysterious ways. At least we know they aren't with Vader"

Padmé eyes flashed dangerously but she bit in her angry response and instead turned back to the window. Obi-Wan felt her sadness turn to anger and decided it was best to keep silent.

* * *

><p>Vader had just put the twins to sleep and watched their sleeping forms. He raised his hands and manipulated their sleeping minds. The twins were very strong minded but when they slept Vader could access their minds with ease. He used the force to ensure his children weren't plagued by nightmares. Ever since he had began employing this technique the twins hadn't had any nightmares of late.<p>

Since Vader rarely slept longer than a few minutes, he spent a lot of the night watching the twins sleep. Luke and Leia had caught him at this and relished in having him near. Vader took a deep breath and turned off the lights. He bent down and placed a kiss on each of the twins foreheads.

He walked out of the room and stood by a large window overlooking Imperial City. Ever since he had adopted the twins, they had changed his life. Every morning he found himself waiting impatiently for them to wake up. He enjoyed their loud childish gibberish. He felt pride when Luke managed to put together a toy droid machine, or when Leia drew little pictures.

_You're growing soft_, Vader would tell himself. He always woke up determined to be strong minded, however that would all melt whenever one of the twins looked at him and called him, 'Father'.

A slight whimper came from the twins room and Vader hurried to the room. Luke twisted in his sleep. Vader gently touched his brow and watched as he calmed down and settled back into a peaceful sleep. Vader smiled.

Yes, Vader admitted. He was growing soft.

* * *

><p>Owen stared at the cold expressionless face of the young man before him. He was at least ten years younger than Owen and he already made him feel like a small insect. He hadn't even said anything beyond a greeting. Ever since the young man had entered, the room had been filled with his imposing presence. Owen wished he had spoken with Mrs. Akan before the appointment, concerning the young high ranking imperial official in his office. Clearing his throat he pulled out his writing datapad. "Mr Skywalker, how are you finding fatherhood so far?" he enquired, eager to get this session over with.<p>

Vader felt the odd need to laugh. He could sense Owen Kenobi's uncomfortableness all the way across the room. Owen Kenobi resembled his former master in many ways, except he wore his auburn hair shorter but swept over his face. The resemblance prompted Vader to wonder exactly how closely related they were. Not only that, but Owen Kenobi's force signature was extremely familiar to someone he knew very well..

Owen scratched his beard nervously under Vader's scrutiny. Deciding to put him out of his misery Vader replied. "Is that a serious question?" he said dryly.

"Well, I suppose it is. Are you having any problems with the twins. For example, do they throw tantrums or are they too quiet?"

"They haven't had any tantrums and they seem like regular active children" Vader replied. "Leia is just quiet when it comes to strangers"

"I take it she has opened up more?"

"Yes and no. She bosses Luke around a lot, and seems to have a sharp tongue. But she doesn't use the same attitude with me."

"But she does it in your presence?"

Wondering how this was relevant Vader rolled his eyes. "Yes" he said.

Owen made a note on his datapad. "That's good. It means she trusts you. How about Luke?"

Vader thought. "Luke is well rounded, he is generally calm though he does have a temper occasionally"

Vader endured a few more questions before Owen called the twins in from the playroom outside his office. He sent Vader out and ignored the slight glare from the Sith Lord. Vader didn't like being sent out and considered eavesdropping on the therapist with the twins. Luke and Leia watched with frightened eyes as Vader left, as he left the room he gave them reassuring pats on the head. When he left, Owen smiled at the children in front of him. "Hello, it's Luke and Leia right?"

They nodded nervously. As orphans they had been to several therapists offices. And in their experience these usually these meetings didn't end very well. "Are you going to take us away from our father?" Leia asked her voice rising nervously.

Owen looked up surprised. "No Leia, I just want to see how you are settling in."

"Are you going to separate us?" Luke asked anxiously.

"No. Really I just want to see how you are settling in and if you are having any problems." He cleared his throat. "Has your…..ummm father ever hit you?"

Luke and Leia shook their heads vigorously. "Does he get angry?" Owen pressed.

"Sometimes" Luke said. "But not at us,"

"Oh? At who?" Owen asked leaning forward.

"Well Admiwal Ozzel makes him angry and other people" Luke said leaning forward on his chair trying to peer at Owen's datapad.

"Admiral Ozzel? You've been on a battleship?" Owen tilted his datapad away from Luke's prying eyes.

"Nooo...it's a big just starship. We haven't seen any battles." Luke said thoughtfully.

"What does your father do when he is angry?"

"Sometimes he whispers in their ears. They normally do what he wants. Once he had Commander Veers take us out for a walk when an official made him angry. We don't know what he did"

"Does he hit anyone when he is angry?" Owen asked trying to hard to wean any knowledge on the twin's new father's outbursts, if he was violent to adults he might in time turn on the twins.

"No! Why do you keep asking that?" Leia spoke for the first time her eyes filling tears. "I want to go now"

Owen raised an eyebrow and made a notation. The twins clearly felt secure with their new parent. Leia sounded defensive. Her brown eyes stared at Owen in obvious fear. "In a moment. How about where you live? Can you tell me about it?"

"Sure! It's awesome!" Luke sat up animated "We live on top of the whole city" Owen smiled at Luke's choice of words.

"Do you like your new house Leia?" he asked trying to draw some information from the quieter of the twins.

The little girl nodded quietly."Yes...I do"

"Do you share a room?"

"Uh huh, but we have our own beds and closets." Leia said glancing at Luke. "and I like having Luke nearby"

"Oh, that's right" Owen said reviewing her file. "Do you still have nightmares Leia?"

"Not so much anymore" Leia said.

"When was the last one?"

"Last night, it wasn't that long, I don't remember much. It was about you" Leia said moving around uncomfortably in chair. "You are not as scary as in my dream"

Owen smiled at that and made another notation. Trust a kid to have a nightmare about a therapist. "And what does your father do when you have nightmares?"

"He wakes me up and stays with me till I fall asleep again. Sometimes he just carries me and lets me sleep like that." Leia said, the admiration she felt for her new father evident. Owen noted this and scrawled a note on the tablet.

"He does it when I have nightmares too, he is really nice" Luke said. "He doesn't yell at us or say we are just being silly" The twins became somber and Owen decided to change the subject.

"Anything you like about your new home?"

"We have a magma destroyer! It's huge!" Luke said excitedly. "But, Leia doesn't like playing with it."

"Do you have a lot of toys?"

"Uh huh, Leia has a lot of dolls and stuff. I like the build-able droid sets and robots. Like triple speed trooper flyers!" Luke pulled out a small action figure from his pocket and proceeded to ran around the room making a whirring sound of flying ship.

Owen smiled and waited for him to calm down. "Okay, Luke sit down so we can finish this."

He ran through the routine questions and finally called Vader back into the room. Vader was slightly nervous but his calm face projected otherwise. Owen sent the twins to look at the aquarium in the corner of the room. He wondered if their father ever showed any emotion and began in a lowered voice. "Well Mr. Skywalker, I haven't seen any major problems with your lifestyle"

_Figures_, Vader thought in irritation, he had been very careful to hide his harsher side in public in the weeks preceding this meeting. Owen continued. "Luke and Leia seem happy...Just a few things. I've seen this a lot with new adoptive parents. They feel the need to bribe the children with toys in order to receive affections. It's better start the relationship on mutual respect and communication. Giving the children boundaries and some responsibility is key. Also I understand you serve in the Imperial Army?"

Vader took a while to remember his false identity as a simple Imperial Army general. The less the therapist suspected about his real identity as Lord Vader the better. "Umm yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Luke and Leia tell me they have been aboard a starship. While I understand your wanting them to be near you. I have some misgivings about children being on a battleship. Have you considered a nanny droid or nanny?"

Vader chewed the inside of his cheek. "I have, however I have not found someone that satisfies my requirements" He wasn't having a droid bring up his kids. He also didn't want a woman in the house. The twins might be tempted to call her mother. He shuddered at the thought. No! He considered Padmé their mother whether she was alive or not.

"Well I have a list of reputable nannies and droid trainers. Would you be interested in a copy?"

Vader just wanted to be out of there and if falsely assuring the therapist he would get a nanny, would get him out of here, he would do it. "Sure..."

"Alright Mr. Skywalker, I will see you in two weeks. Just another follow up. Keep in mind the points I brought up. Also try and get some help, it's impossible to raise children on your own." Owen said.

Vader felt irritation. The man had same pressing behavior as Obi-Wan, it kind of irked him. "Mmm Hmm. Can I go now?"

"Yes sir. Luke and Leia? It was nice to meet you" Owen said standing up.

"Bye!" The twins chorused while they ran to Vader's side. Owen smiled in amusement, why was it children were always happiest to say bye?

Vader was just relieved to be done with his first meeting. And he had to be back in two weeks! How annoying. He placed his hands on the twins heads and guided them out of the room. As they left Vader wondered if he would have to attend sessions if Owen mysteriously disappeared.

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><p>"Morning, Father" two voices said in unison<p>

Vader dragged his eyes off the screen in front of him and smiled. "You two are up early," He patted his lap and the twins clambered onto it. He closed his eyes and relished in the loving snuggles his children gave him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yep! I dreamt I was in this huge podrace and I was just about to win." Luke said.

"Well, did you?"

Luke shook his head. "Nope, I don't know. I was woken up"

"Your comlink keeps buzzing" Leia said pointing to the screen.

Vader blinked at his screen and noticed the light showing he had missed several calls. "So it has" he said. "Why don't you two go play for a bit while I make some calls?"

Luke and Leia nodded and slipped out of the room. Vader returned the calls. "Lord Vader?"

"What is it Ozzel?"

"The Emperor has called a meeting of the chiefs. We need to discuss several issues based on the points he brought up. He wants a briefing today in thirty minutes."

Vader growled, he was busy today, he had planned to personally interview nannies for the twins. He sighed. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes" he said. "And Ozzel?"

"Yes?"

"Start the meeting without me and I will squeeze your brains out" Vader said. He could hear the man audibly gulp and he smirked in satisfaction.

* * *

><p>As Vader's ship landed Veers and Piett stepped forward to meet him. Veers groaned as he saw Luke and Leia wave at him excitedly from the front of the ship. He turned to Piett. "Oh great...I guess I am babysitting again"<p>

Piett smirked unsympathetically. "Must mean they like you. He keeps bringing them back"

Veers snorted. "He just likes the free babysitting services. I am going to start charging him, 15 credits an hour and some overtime too" he said determinedly

Piett studied him closely,"You're bluffing" he concluded. No one would dare to challenge the Dark Lord like that.

"Watch me" Veers said.

"Idiot" Piett said looking away from his friend with shake of his head. The ramp lowered and the twins raced down straight to Veers.

"Commander Veers!" they said excitedly.

Veers pulled up a strained smile. "Hello your _highnesses_" he said in an odd singsong voice muffling the word highnesses.

"Did you miss us?"

"How couldn't I?" Veers said with wincing smile. 'No I didn't' he mouthed to the smiling Piett.

Vader stalked down the ramp. "Veers! Get here!" He looked dangerous.

Veers scurried to the dark Lord and saluted to him. Vader ignored his greeting and handed him his datapad. "Call the names on this list and have them brought on board. I want you and Piett to interview them."

Veers glanced down at the list. Nannies and droid minders. "Interview them? How Milord?"

Vader froze him with a glare. "Have you never conducted an interview?" Veers answered that he had."Well then I don't have to worry that the narrowed down list will be anything else but competent do I?"

"Noo...oo, Milord"

"Then get to it. I want the narrowed down list before the end of the day" Vader said. Veers stared at Vader dumbfounded. He wondered if the man had ever spoke calmly in his life. Or had been born barking orders.

Vader glared at the stupefied Veers. "Now Veers" Vader yelled. He turned to Luke and Leia. "You two come with me." and stalked off as angrily as he had come. Luke and Leia waved to Piett and Veers and followed Vader happily, not seeming to mind their father's dangerous temperament.

As soon as Vader disappeared Veers hunched up his shoulder and made an angry face."Get to it! Now Veers! Interview a bunch of baby minders and make sure they are competent." he imitated Vader's stalking. "Yeah right! Like anyone watching Vader's children would ever be competent enough"

Piett laughed."You could apply, you've done it for two weeks. I am sure it would be a promotion from where you are dumb-wit" the captain teased mercilessly.

"Hey! I'll have you know those kids are devils. They look at you with their sweet eyes and pretend to be all goody goody but they are just waiting for you to slip up and bam! You're choking on Vader's table"

"I think they are genuinely nice. I spent an afternoon with them remember? Just regular kids looking for some fun" Piett said coming to their defense.

"That's what they want you to think, it's all part of their mind game. It's a psychological thing!"

"You're impossible"

Veers rolled his eyes and followed his friend. Today was going to be a long day. He felt sorry for whoever got the job. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. _Why me? Why me?_ Veers asked himself as he began to peruse the list with Piett.

* * *

><p>Padmé sat in the Organa's large family room playing with Winter. The Organa's young daughter was very fond of 'Ms. Padmé ' and handed Padmé a hair brush to style the doll she held. Padmé smiled and began to brush the doll's long blonde hair. When Winter pulled away with a small giggle and squealed "Daddy!", Padmé turned and saw Bail Organa had just entered the room. Padme sat back on her heels and watched the girl run to her father. Her heart clenched slightly as Bail lifted his daughter and lavished her with affection.<p>

She was very happy for her friend, but she couldn't stop the niggling jealousy she felt when watching his perfect family. Bail must have noticed her mood and whispered to Winter. Winter stared at Padmé before she nodded and ran out of the room. "Padmé? Are you alright?" Bail asked when they were alone.

Padmé smiled quickly. "Oh yes, fine. I was just thinking, Winter's birthday will be coming soon" She said, aware that her children's was even closer. "I have a lot of work to do before it comes and I don't want to miss it"

Bail gave her a knowing look "Padmé you know you don't have to work so hard. You should take a vacation, sort out your feelings. You need to deal with what has happened"

"What are you talking about? Nothing's happened, I still don't have my children" Padmé said attempting to sound nonchalant.

"Padmé ..."

Padmé held her hand up to stop him. "I am dealing with it, in my own way. Please let's not talk about this" she said in a tired tone.

Bail considered ignoring her request but Padmé was in a delicate state. Padmé had become very sensitive since the events that had taken place nearly five years ago. Her increasing state of depression had her friends and family on tiptoe around her. "Very well, but at least consider a vacation" Bail said.

Padmé nodded but she was already planning on how to spend the next few weeks immersed in her work. She would not take a vacation. She could not allow herself time to think about her miserable life and everything she had lost. She swallowed deeply as she remembered the day that was coming up. For on that one day she had lost everything. Her life, her career, her husband and her children.

* * *

><p><strong>Side note:<strong> In this story Vader was not burned and is not in the suit. I figured Vader would be more than capable of following Padme and Obi-Wan if he wasn't severely injured.


	6. Decisions

**Author's note:** So this is a go between chapter. I decided to introduce another new character. I already have the next chapter typed out and it's just a matter of editing. I have some time now that I am on Thanksgiving break. Yay! As always, you are loved readers and reviewers. Adored really, lol. Enjoy this short chapter! Thank you to Kolodey.

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><p>Veers peered out the door at the last of the women on the nanny list. Vader had gone over the first list and pronounced all the selected people incompetent. Veers and Piett had been sent scrambling to procure a better list and were now conducting interviews in the final stages. She looked promising. She was a tall woman with a strong face but kind eyes. She appeared very decisive and intelligent, which was good. Anyone who was going to work very closely with Vader was going to have to be strong and sure of themselves. Veers beckoned her with a crooked finger and sat back down besides Piett.<p>

Piett glanced up from the woman's references briefly. "Is she the last?" he asked boredly.

Veers shrugged. "I think so. I am not sure, Vader might not like anyone we pick anyway. But I have a good feeling about this list. We have found five good childcare providers and if Vader doesn't like them he can jolly well..."

"What?" Piett taunted. Veers glared at him and kept silent as the woman entered and took a seat opposite them. Piett's smirk rapidly disappeared to a professional facade as he turned to the woman. "Hello, do you mind telling us about your history with children?"

As she responded to their questions Piett and Veers nodded politely. Piett jotted notes on his datapad while asking most of the questions. Finally, Veers couldn't help himself and leaned forward. "Do you do well working with demons?" he asked.

The woman's face went blank and she blinked rapidly. "Excuse me?"

"You know? Demons? Devils? Evil Spirits?" Veers repeated.

Piett shot him a glare and turned back to the woman. "Pay him no mind. We will be contacting you in the future Ms?"

"Atina. Just Atina." She said as she shot Veers a puzzled look.

"Alright Atina. We will contact you in the future. You would be wise to use discretion about this interview" Piett said standing up.

"By wise he means you best not talk about this or else your head will end in some random garbage dump." Veers added cheerfully.

Piett gave a heavy sigh and smiled politely. "Your discretion would be appreciated."

The woman gave them a shrewd look but nodded and left as quietly as she had come. Piett sat back down and scowled at his friend. "Exactly what happened to you? Did your mother drop you on your head when you were young? Because you lack even an ounce of common sense!"

Veers grinned at him. "Nope, I witnessed Vader's birth, enough to scar me for life" he joked "He came out of his mother's womb snarling like a gundark."

"Oh shut up!" Piett exclaimed in exasperation.

* * *

><p>Atina sat on the public transit speeder-bus and thought of the odd interview she had just been to. It been aboard an Imperial battleship and the two mens' questions had not pertained much to her history with children but rather personal questions. They asked questions about her personality, what she did in her personal time, if she was seeing anybody and about her family. In addition, they also asked scenario questions such as "if you were in this situation, what would you do?" It was almost like she was being tested. But for what? She wondered if she had passed whatever test it men had seemed mighty pleased when she said her only family was her sister with whom she lived with in the lower levels of Imperial Capital.<p>

Atina needed this job, she had been out of work for over six months and the strain was starting to show. Ever since the inception of the Empire things had been tough for a lot of citizens. Her brother-in-law, a loyal Republican, had lost his job at the Senate as a guard and had been unable to find employment. Her sister had been a stay-at-home mom who now was forced to work at a nearby store to feed her family. The family Atina worked for before, had fled the Imperial capital and she had been relegated to looking after her nephews and nieces.

Earlier, when she had received the cryptic call from one of the men, she had jumped at the opportunity to get an interview. But now she wasn't sure wanted a job shrouded in secrecy. Her stop came and she hopped off the speeder bus. She was barely two steps away from it when her small communicator buzzed.

"This is Commander Veers, from earlier today. Do you have time for a follow up interview?"

"Yes of course. When?" Atina breathed. Follow-up? She had just barely left the imperial battleship!

"In forty-five minutes"

Atina was startled. "I...I just got home, it took me thirty minutes to get here" She said.

"No problem," The man replied cheerfully "Your meeting will take place on Imperial Capital. Give me your location and transport will be there in the next fifteen minutes."

Flustered and a little worried, Atina gave her information and sat waiting. Within ten minutes a small but fast black speeder pulled up and two troopers disembarked. "Atina?" they said walking to her immediately.

She nodded wondering exactly who she was going to see for this follow up interview. They rushed her into the speeder and said nothing when she asked where they were going. Imperial Capital had never whizzed by so fast but soon the smoky air of the lower levels cleared up and Atina realized they had entered Imperial city. The main city was busy and filled with troopers and police monitoring traffic. Her brother-in-law often said troopers filled the city like flies on a carcass. The small speeder cut through traffic dangerously and soon Atina recognized the Emperor's palace from Holonews. It was larger in person and she couldn't stop the disgust she felt that the large building housed only one selfish person.

For a moment, she wondered if that is where they were headed. But the troopers turned off and headed to a similar sized building. As they approached the building, Atina could only think the structure was one the ugliest creations she had ever seen. She, however, kept her comments to herself and watched as they entered a hangar and parked the small speeder.

"Hurry up" One of the clones said curtly to her. His friend remained with the speeder and while he led Atina to a turbolift. He punched in a couple of codes and let her enter. "You'll stop on the 15th floor. Someone will be waiting for you, stay in the turbolift." He said in a muffled voice.

"Thank you" Atina said sarcastically to the trooper. The white mask looked at her blankly and she sighed and turned to watch the view as the turbolift whirled up.

It was a relatively fast turbolift and soon stopped with a jerk. The doors opened to reveal the face of one the men who had interviewed her earlier. "Hello. I am Captain Piett. I talked to you earlier" He said and stepped in beside her. He entered another digit of codes and stood back to face her as they resumed their upward journey. "I have exactly four minutes to brief you. You are about to meet Lord Vader..."

"Lord Vader?! As in the second command of the galactic empire?" Atina sputtered in horror.

Piett frowned at the interruption. "Yes. The very same. Please, do not interrupt him like that. As I was saying, you are to meet him. Answer all his questions directly. Do not use sarcasm or humor when answering him, the man has none of that and will see it as disrespect" by now the turbolift had reached it's destination and opened up.

Piett continued "Be confident about your work, Vader hates people who doubt themselves, be truthful about everything. He will know if you are lying and lies infuriate him. The position is for a full time nanny to two children. I can't tell you anything else. Good luck" Piett said and stepped aside.

Atina stared at him shock realizing they had reached the top floor. She slowly stepped out the turbolift and watched in fear as the turbolift closed and descended. She stood with shaky legs till she heard someone clear their throat. Whipping around rapidly she realized she was in a large office. It overlooked the Imperial City and Atina couldn't help but notice the way the desk and chair were situated overlooking the nearby surrounding. From this seat, Vader could see almost the entire front half of Imperial City as it spread for miles. The whole arrangement of the room boasted power. However the desk chair was empty and in the middle of the room stood a large holo-projector. It displayed several planet systems and the reason for her visit stood in front of the images.

The man who stood before her was young. Younger than she expected. Vader was always shrouded in a cloak on the news, but here in his own office his cloak had been abandoned on a nearby chair. Cold blue eyes stared at her and appraised her quickly. Atina visibly shuddered when his gaze left her and he turned his eyes back to his work.

Unsure of what to do, Atina stood awkwardly in the entrance of the room.

"I assume Piett briefed you" Vader finally spoke. His voice surprised Atina, it was deep and soft. She almost thought she had imagined the words.

"Yes...I was... he did"

"It wasn't a question." Vader said curtly using a stylus to draw random lines on the projection. "So now you know why you are here. It would seem that I am in need of the services of nanny"

The way Vader said the word _nanny_ made Atina wonder why he was doing this. He didn't sound too enthused with the idea and clearly a man of power such as himself didn't like to be in need of anything. He turned around to face her "Are you experienced with children?"

"Yes Milord. I have served several families..."

"You may answer all questions I address you with yes or no. I have no time nor need for explanations"

"Yes"

"Have you ever worked with twins?"

Atina started to say "once" but paused and cleared her throat. "Yes"

"You realize what this job will require of you?"

Atina considered his question for a while. She would probably never be able to speak of her job, or what it entailed to her family or close friends. She probably would never see her family often. She would be followed and tracked for the rest of her life and she might possibly die at the hands of her employer.

Vader noticed her hesitancy and said snidely "You will be paid well."

Atina stared at the man in front of her in disgust. She had heard of the millions of evil things he had done. How he had killed people without so much as a thought while raiding planets all in the name of the empire. Did he really think a generous salary would be enough to convince her?

He returned her scrutiny with a hostile gaze and she wondered why she was here in the first place. It didn't seem like he wanted her nor needed her in his 'oh so private life'. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something behind his cold veneer._ Fear._ Lord Vader was scared? Of her?

No no, it was something else. Something that set her curiosity ticking. And it had to do with the reason she was here. Vader was afraid of failing as a father. She had seen it time and time again with new time parents. They had the fear that they were doing something wrong. And they often felt shame when they needed outside help. Despite her better judgement Atina couldn't help the spark of pity she felt for the man. He was much younger than her and probably not ready for what fatherhood entailed. Something akin to motherly instinct sprung up within Atina and she made her decision. "Yes" she said simply.

Vader looked shocked as if he had not expected the answer she gave. He however recovered quickly and nodded slowly. "Of course you will have to be discrete and competent with the children. You will not be allowed to discipline them, but I do expect you to be able stop any arguments or disagreements that will arise. You will never raise your voice at them. You will look after each and every one of their needs. If you fail on even one occasion to do so there will be severe consequences." He said in a rather deadly voice.

Atina nodded quickly. Vader eyed her for a moment and reached out to his desk to press a button. "Very well. You will start immediately. Piett will meet you in the turbolift and take you to my residence. I will be there to introduce you to the twins and watch you with them. Your items will be collected by a trooper. You might want to alert your sister that they are coming. You will have five minutes." He said returning to his planets.

After a few minutes he paused and turned to find a Atina still staring at him. "You may go"

Spurred to action Atina rushed back to the turbolift doors and was relieved when they opened. Piett gave her a small smile when she hurried in. She was happy to be away from the dark aura of the room. The man had a very imposing presence. It was almost suffocating. As they descended Atina pondered her decision. She had a feeling she had no idea what she was getting into. She could only hope the perk of monetary compensation would be well worth the trouble.


	7. Wishes and Candles

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! And if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful day! Thanks for reading and reviewing. I do take the questions and comments posed in reviews into consideration when writing the story. I hope so far I have answered most of the questions anyone had.

Otherwise enjoy chapter seven and happy reading.

Kolodey, you know who you are, and what you do. Xoxox

* * *

><p>It was hopeless. Padmé didn't know why she even bothered living. It was obvious fate hated her and would continue to deal her a cruel blow in life. She took a breath and run her bleeding hand under the cold water. She welcomed the relief the cold water brought to her cut. Anything to take her mind off the ever present pain in her heart. She turned the water off and watched as the pinkish colored water dripped into the sink. As it ran down the sink, it formed patterns and Padmé found herself staring as it trickled into the drain.<p>

"Padmé! What in the blazes are you doing?!" Sola's panicked voice cried behind her.

Padmé jumped and hurriedly grabbed a towel to dab her injured hand. "I was cutting up some shurra fruit and I cut my hand" She explained in a small voice. She hated how her voice quavered of late.

Sola yanked the stained towel away from her and winced at the deep cut. "Were you paying any attention to where the knife was going?" she asked as she inspected Padmé's still bleeding hand.

Padmé tried to pull her hand away. "It was an accident Sola." She said.

Sola shook her head and Padmé scowled at her sister. "What?" she asked as her sister turned to the nearby cabinets hunting for a first aid kit.

"Nothing, maybe you shouldn't be around...you know, pointy things" Sola said finally locating the small kit.

"I am not a child Sola" Padmé said crossly. Sola simply arched an eyebrow in response and removed the bacta gel and patches. She said nothing as she cleaned the wound and dressed it.

"Thank you" Padmé said when she was finished.

"No problem baby sis. If I don't look after you, who will?"

"I can take care of myself." Padmé said defensively.

"Sure, like you have all these years?" Sola snapped.

Padmé's eyes widened and Sola sighed, regretting her harsh words. "Padmé…." she began.

Padmé shook her head and hurriedly left the kitchen. She ran upstairs to her room and locked her door. She sunk down beside the door and fought the tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. As her tears finally began to fall, Padme ignored the frantic knocks outside her door and watched the sunset outside her window.

Padmé knew why she was so miserable. In fact, she couldn't believe her family had forgotten the reason of her misery today. In less than two hours, the entire Empire would be celebrating Empire Day. Padmé had nothing to celebrate, nothing but the wreckage of her life. She couldn't help but wonder if her children were going to have a nice birthday bash the day after the dreaded Empire day. Five years was quite a milestone for any child and she wasn't going to be there to watch them blow out their five little candles or guess their little wishes. She sighed as she stood up and moved to the window. Outside it was pitch black, not even the stars twinkled. _Just like my heart_, Padmé thought ruefully.

* * *

><p>Vader twitched in irritation as yet more civilian idiots began to cheer in the grand square outside Palpatine's palace. He was at his wits end with all the ruckus going on. He considered traipsing through the drunken crowd and decapitating the fools for making noise and detaining him this long. It had been over twenty hours of this nonsense. Sidious had been hosting parties since midnight of the morning of Empire day. Of course he had required his second-in-command to be present at all the events. Some which even he had not attended.<p>

Vader muttered a string of curses and ignored the ache in his head from all the screaming. He understood things were better under the empire, but surely it didn't warrant this lack of decorum did it? Next to him Sidious and Prince Xizor waved benevolently from the balcony to the wild crowds below. Prince Xizor went as far as throwing flowers down to the groups of females below them. Vader watched in disgust as the fickle creatures swooned and fought over the flowers. Finally sick of the festivities, Vader bowed to his master and begged leave.

"Master, if you'll excuse me. I have received word on the rebels." He lied glibly not caring that Prince Xizor gave him a skeptical look.

Sidious gave him a dubious look. "Very well Lord Vader" he said after appraising his apprentice. Turning to the crowds he called out "Citizens, a big hand for Lord Vader. While the rest us are celebrating he insists on working and fortifying this wonderful empire..."

Vader scowled beneath his hood as the crowds began to scream wildly. He turned sharply and left the crowds noise drowning out the rest of his master's speech. He knew he would be punished for this later, but right now he didn't care. He would rather be struck with force lightning than miss the important day coming up in a few short hours.

* * *

><p>Back at his personal quarters Vader watched Atina moving around the living room.<p>

"And you are certain they will like this?" Vader asked Atina giving the living room and dining room a dubious look. It was a mixed explosion of decorations in different colors. Pink, purple, blue and grey colored balloons and streamers filled the room.

"Of course Milord. I have done several five year-olds birthdays. Leia likes the softer, lady-like things, I have a feeling that will change in the future. But right now she enjoys being girly. And Luke likes things that are fast and reckless" Atina said as she cast her new employer a look.

Atina had to admit Vader wasn't as horrible as she had expected. But she figured part of it had to do with the twins being in his life. She was certain he had a temper and tiptoed around him when he was present.

Vader oblivious to her thoughts continued observing her as she decorated the living room. "But Leia doesn't like droids and podracing" Vader indicated to the small mobiles hanging from the ceiling.

"Exactly. That's why we did a princess and pilot theme" Atina said as she tried to hide her amusement at Vader's doubtful expression. She picked up the princess themed mobiles and handed one end to the dark lord. "Now stop being such a doubting wookie and hang this up! The twins will love it"

Vader scowled at being ordered around by his nanny. However, since she was the child expert, he wordlessly took the string of palaces, fairies, and pink dresses and stood on the step stool to hang it up. He endured Atina's tweaking instructions and was relieved when she seemed satisfied with his work.

Atina then set to work in the kitchen baking the twins birthday cake. The twins would wake up in four hours and she wanted it ready and frosted before they woke up. Vader retreated to his office and sat quietly. He had been trying to avoid having any downtime whatsoever for the past couple of days.

It seemed every year around this time the force projected overwhelming feelings of sadness and depression to him. Vader wasn't superstitious, but he couldn't help but wonder if he sensed his wife's feelings from the afterlife. He tried to convince himself that was insane, but she was the only one who could project her feelings to him like this. And the very reason made Vader downright miserable. And when the Dark Lord was miserable everyone around him was miserable.

He was surprised the twins hadn't picked up on his mood. They had been too excited about their upcoming birthday to notice. They were calling it their first real birthday since it would be in their new home. Vader didn't want to disappoint them and had gone all out in preparations for the day. He had ordered numerous expensive gifts that would start arriving in a few minutes. After he had left the Emperor's side he had come home and been coerced into helping Atina with the decorations. He hoped the twins loved it, because he didn't care for the decorations.

With a sigh he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes hoping to catch a moments rest.

* * *

><p><em>"Padme, I saw your ship . . ." Vader said. He was concerned. What was his wife doing here? He wondered as he embraced Padme.<em>

_Padme pulled away slowly and looked to the ground "Oh, Anakin!" she said. _

_She looked so distressed. Vader wanted to console and tell her it would be alright. He had fixed everything. "It's all right, you're safe now. What are you doing out here?" He asked looking at her closely._

_Padme looked nervous at his scrutiny. "I was so worried about you." She hesitated so slightly if Vader didn't know her as well as he did, he would have missed it. "Obi-Wan told me terrible things." she finished._

_Vader didn't have to see his face to know he was scowling at the mention of his former master. "What things?" he asked attempting to sound unconcerned._

_"He said you have turned to the dark side . . . that you killed younglings." Padme said her grip on his arms tightening as her eyes searched his face._

_Vader's anger rose so suddenly a small part of him cringed in fear at the uncontrollable rage he felt inside. So Palpatine was right! The Jedi were working against him. How could he not have seen this sooner? How could Padme not see it? _

_"Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me." he said coldly._

_Padme looked stunned at his words and tone. "Anakin! He cares about us." She said. _

_Vader almost laughed at her stupidity "Us?!"_

_Padme's eyes flashed slightly at his mocking tone. "He knows . . . He wants to help you" she said trying to calm her husband. _

_Help? Him? Help him! Vader didn't need any help from his former master. All Obi-Wan had done was hold him back. Now, with Palpatine's help he could finally save Padme. Why couldn't she see that he was just trying to protect her? He glared at Padme. He could sense she didn't trust him. "Is Obi-Wan going to protect you? He can't ... he can't help you. He's not strong enough."_

_"Anakin, all I want is your love." Padme said looking worried at the darkness she saw in her husband's eye._

_"Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that." Vader said confidently._

_His wife's eyes widened in horror as realization began to sink in. "At what cost? You are a good person. Don't do this." She begged._

_Vader couldn't believe she expected him to live without her. "I won't lose you the way I lost my mother!" He raised his voice unintentionally and held her gaze possessively."I've become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you. To protect you."_

_Padme shook her head as if in denial at his words. "Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can."_

_Vader couldn't believe she was attempting to bribe him with what he had wanted for the longest time. He had been tired of hiding their love from the world and begged her to run away with him. But now, it was so simple now that he had fixed everything for them. For Padme. _

_"Don't you see, we don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be." _

_He looked to Padme, expecting to see her approval and pride in him. What he saw caused his heart to clench._

_Padme was horrified. "I don't believe what I'm hearing . . . Obi-Wan was right. You've changed." she said stepping away from him. _

_Vader stared at her shocked. He could feel their bond in the force weakening. No! This couldn't be happening. He had to stop her talking about this. She had to see his side, she had to. "I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan." he scolded almost pathetically. "The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me." he was pleading now._

_Padme shook her head at him, "I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart. I'll never stop loving you, but you are going down a path I can't follow."_

_Can't or won't? Vader thought darkly. "Because of Obi-Wan?" he asked hating the way his jealousy caused his voice to sound._

_Padme wasn't listening to him. "Because of what you've done . . . what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back! I love you." She was crying and Vader felt guilty. _

_He hated making her cry. He glanced down between them. Was it possible that Obi-Wan had not poisoned her after all? He looked up sensing a very unwelcome presence. A presence that shattered his soul. Obi-Wan._

_True enough, his former master stood in the doorway of the ship. Padme's ship. How could she do this to him? _

_"Liar!" he roared. _

_Padme turned around and gasped in recognition when she saw Obi-Wan standing in the doorway of the Naboo Cruiser. She looked to Vader and he gave her a hurt look. "No!" she said as if shocked at what he suspected. _

_How dare she act innocent? She had betrayed him. "You're with him. You've betrayed me! You brought him here to kill me!" Vader said his rage blinding him._

_Padme's head shook quickly and she moved to her husband to reason with him. "NO! Anakin. I swear ... I ..."_

_He wouldn't hear it! He was finished with her lies. She had played him this whole time. He always wondered about her friendship with Obi-Wan. But he never guessed she would betray him like this? It was inconceivable!_

_He raised his hand felt a strong current of the force run through him. He watched as she began to choke not even caring that it was his angel. His heart was broken and it hurt._

_He would make her hurt the way she and Obi-Wan had made him hurt._

* * *

><p>Vader sat up with his eyes a dangerous sithly yellow. Everything in the room trembled at the rage he felt inside. He clutched his arm rests trying to calm himself down. Finally, his breathing eased and the trembling in the room stopped. He couldn't believe it was five years to the day since he had last held his angel in his arms. His rage over took his grief as he thought of her betrayal. He would never be that blind again! All that time she had been in cohorts with Obi-Wan. She deserved what she got in the end. He stood up slowly and walked to the window trying to ignore the voice in his mind that strongly disagreed with him. <em>What if he had been wrong? What if she had been innocent? No! <em>He was never wrong.

Vader remained meditating till he sensed the twins were awake. He hurried to the living room and found Atina also peering from the kitchen.

"Where is Daddy?" Leia's voice could be heard asking from upstairs.

"Dunno, he is usually in our room when we wake up." Her brother replied. "Let's try downstairs"

Their socked feet thumped down the stairs and they entered the living room. Vader felt his heart burst with an unnameable emotion as the twins stopped in awe. "Wow!" they said in unison in low voices.

"Do you like it?" Vader asked with a frown when they remained staring at the room.

"It's awesome!" Luke yelled.

"Soo pretty!" Leia said.

The twins spoke at the same time and then ran to hug Vader's legs. Atina smiled as Vader bent down to hug them. Though he tried to appear nonchalant, she could tell the dark lord was deeply pleased. She quickly disappeared to the kitchen leaving the family to themselves.

* * *

><p>"This is the best birthday ever!" Luke said when he had unwrapped his last gift from Vader. His sister nodded from her place between Vader's legs. It the end of the day and the living room was scattered with wrapping paper and numerous gifts the twins had received. Even Piett and Veers had sent gifts for the two children. Luke and Leia were somewhat overwhelmed by all the grandeur. This birthday was a sharp contrast to their previous birthdays in the orphanage. But the twins welcomed the change.<p>

"I have something for you two" Atina said coming in the living room and handing them each small rectangular boxes.

Leia carefully undid the wrapping on hers, while Luke ripped his off carelessly. Luke got to his gift first and squealed in excitement. "It's a furry guy!" he said holding up a small wookie action figure.

"It's a wookie Luke," Vader said in amusement.

"A wookie? Well whatever he is, he's awesome." Luke said and put him aside carefully. He turned to his sister, "What did you get Leia?"

Leia removed the tissue paper and pulled out a slender doll. She stared at the doll in her hands. "It's a doll with wings" she said turning the doll round in her hands.

"Not just a doll Leia. That is an angel" Atina said with a smile.

"An angel? What's that?" Leia asked intrigued.

"Angels are an extremely unique species that live on some moon in space." Atina said with an air of awe to her voice.

"Atina, you are ruining a good story with that horrible explanation" Vader said with a shake of his head.

"Oh? Well perhaps you can tell it better?" Atina said a bit surprised at Vader's interest in the topic.

"As a matter of fact I can." Vader said much to Atina's shock. He uncrossed his legs and stretched them out lazily. "Angels are more of a myth actually. They are called the Diathim in some languages, they live on the moons of Iego. They are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They are good and kind, and so pretty they make even the most hardened space pirates cry like small children" He said.

The twins listened with rapt attention and Atina rolled her eyes. Clearly the dark lord was exaggerating a little.

"Have you ever seen one?" Luke asked.

A flash of pain crossed Vader's face and he covered it with a blank face. "Yes, twice in fact"

"Are they really beautiful?" Leia asked as she stared in awe at the doll in her hands.

"Yes" he noticed the twins looking at him expectantly. "When I met my first angel, I wasn't much older than you two. She walked into the shop I worked in" Vader paused thoughtfully. "I looked closer and instantly knew that she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. In fact, I was certain that I was in the presence of an angel, even though I'd never met one before."

Atina snorted and received a glare from her employer. "Well if you are done waxing poetry Milord, are you two ready for your cake?" She asked.

Vader scowled at her but remained silent as the twins squealed and jumped up and down in excitement. Atina disappeared and returned with the cake. It followed the birthday theme with half of it decorated as a princess cake and the other half as a pilot. Vader watched as Atina placed the candles on the cake and lit them. "Okay now blow them out and make a wish."

Vader smiled as the twins puffed their cheeks up with air and blew out the candles. "What did you wish for?" He asked curious.

"We can't tell you that!" Leia said with a giggle. "Otherwise it won't come true"

Vader shook his head. "Well then. You two can have a small piece of cake and then off to bed"

"But I'm not sleepy!" Luke said stifling a yawn. "And I want cake"

"Your cake won't be going anywhere" Vader said drily.

Luke pouted but didn't say anything as Atina gave him his piece of cake. By the time they had both finished their cake and changed for bed, both twins were ready to go sleep. Vader stood by as they clambered into bed.

"Dad?" Luke said sleepily.

"Yes Luke?"

"Can tomorrow be our birthday too?"

Vader gave a small smile. "Sure Luke, why not?"

"Can we open presents again?" The boy could barely keep his eyes open.

"Go to sleep Luke" Vader said and moved to turn off the bedroom lights.

"Daddy?" Leia's sweet voice called causing Vader to pause in the doorway.

"What is it Leia?"

"Do you want to know what I wished for?" she asked sitting up.

Vader walked to her bed and knelt between the twins beds. "What did you wish for sweetheart?" he asked reaching out and taking her small hand in his.

"That we'll be together for always" Leia said.

"Me too" Luke said from his bed. Vader looked at both and felt the unfamiliar feeling of tears pricking his eyes. He bit his lip in annoyance. He couldn't cry, he was a dark lord for heaven's sake!

Unsure of what to say, Vader stood and kissed both twins goodnight. As he watched them settle into bed, he hoped their wish came true.

* * *

><p>Padmé hurried upstairs glad to be done with dinner. She had barely managed to sit through the meal without screaming. Her family had carried on as if nothing was wrong. She couldn't believe they had forgotten her children's birthday! She took a deep breath and locked her door.<p>

Padmé headed directly for the box that she had stuffed under her bed weeks earlier. She removed the lid and pulled out two matching sky lanterns. From the bottom of the box, she pulled out candles and walked to the small balcony she shared with Sola's old room. She carefully positioned the candles in the lanterns and lit them, singing birthday wishes softly to the wind.

Smiling sadly she launched the lanterns and whispered her wish. "Soon, my littles ones. We will be together soon." she said as she watched the small blinking lights drift further away.


	8. Plans

**Author's note: **So I jumped the story ahead two years. I don't normally like big jumps in time. I think this will to be the first and the last. I have to admit this chapter is very special. I wrote this before the whole story and it was actually longer. But it got split into four chapters when I decided to edit, lol.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate all the reviews. It let's me know what readers are thinking.

Thank you to Kolodey.

* * *

><p>A few years later.<p>

"Now Miss Leia, I know you didn't just throw my good cooking to that creature" Atina called from the kitchen.

Leia looked up guiltily from where she had just handed a medium sized dog a slice of meat. "I'm sorry, but I am really full Atina." she said.

Leia had changed a lot in the past two years. Her thick dark curly hair was worn past her shoulders and her large brown eyes no longer carried their despondency. They carried a look of pride that was accompanied by an air of wisdom. Leia was now quite chubby and she had grown into a pretty young girl. "If it helps, Bleu likes your cooking" she said in the direction of the kitchen.

Luke rolled his eyes and continued to munch his steak. "I don't see why you didn't just give it to me!"

He too had grown over the years. His dark blonde hair was not much shorter than his sisters, reaching the nape of his neck. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief and a keen intelligence.

Leia pulled a face. "And have you devour it in my face, you greedy rancor? No thanks. You chew with your mouth open!"

"And what does Bleu do?" Luke asked not fazed at all and still not bothering to close his mouth.

"He's a dog! You're a human and eat like a...like a Gamorrean!" Leia retorted. "See Gamorrean!" she said condescendingly as sauce dripped down Luke's chin.

Luke wiped it with a napkin viciously "At least I even eat, miss-i'll-have-another-piece-of-fruit-i-wanna-be-so-skeletal!" Luke shot back. "You're so picky even a rat could out eat you!"

Leia got up so quickly her chair fell backwards "What?! DADDY!"

"Miss Leia! Don't go calling your daddy in on some petty argument" Atina said coming in the formal dining room where the twins sat. She folded her arms and eyed the two glaring twins. "Now anyone of you want to tell me what's going on in here?"

"Luke insulted me." Leia pointed at her twin and dragged her chair into an upright position.

"Did not! She called me a rancor! It's my legal right to retaliate in self defense." Luke stuck his tongue out at his sister.

"If the teeth fit and all that!" Leia retorted.

"Oooh you went there! I am gonna tell Dad you're name calling again" Luke said.

Leia's eyes flashed in annoyance. "You wouldn't dare you…." she began.

"Dad! Leia's picking fights again" Luke yelled with a grin on his face.

Leia stomped her foot indignantly "Oh you steak gnoshing dumb eye nerf herder...!"

"Leia that's enough!" A strong voice said. Leia turned and saw her father standing in the doorway. She bowed her head and quickly sat down. "This better be good you two, what is it this time?" Vader asked.

Leia pointed at her brother "Luke!"

"She started it" Luke said defensively.

Vader's eyes narrowed and the twins fell silent from his glare. Over the years Vader had discovered what most parents do overtime, he couldn't be nice all the time. He never yelled or struck his children but they respected him all the same. However, the Dark Lord found that a simple glare was usually enough to silence their frequent squabbles. Bleu appeared from under the table and jumped at Vader happily. Vader bent to pat the dog that the twins just had to have. He looked up at his children.

"Explain"

They started to speak at the same time and Vader held up a hand to silence them. Figuring he wouldn't get much from them he turned to their nanny he questioned. "Atina?"

"I don't know, I wasn't in here" Atina said fleeing the awkward discussion.

Vader turned back to his kids. "One at a time. Who went first last time?"

"Leia did! So it's my turn" Luke said. Leia looked mutinous but she kept silent. "Well it started when Leia gave Atina's good steak to Bleu..."

"Which he loved!" Leia cut in.

Vader gave Leia a cautionary look and she lowered her head. "Don't interrupt your brother. Luke?"

"Well Atina was mad at Leia , and I asked why she didn't just give it to me. Then she called me a greedy rancor!"

"That's not all of it! You should have seen him Dad, he was there chewing on his steak with his mouth open!" Leia said and then began to imitate a savage eating meat. "He didn't even use cutlery. It was disgusting!"

"So? Come on Leia! We use cutlery and sit up straight and follow etiquette all day at school! Can't a guy chill out?"

"Sure, but when your 'chilling out' disgusts others I think you need to stop! Then he called me skeletal and picky!"

"Because you're always getting on my case for eating! Not all of us want to be dainty and elegant"

"Well you eat too much!" Leia shot back "and your disgusting table manners make me lose my appetite"

"Enough, you're making my head hurt!" Vader snapped.

He didn't understand it. The twins were really close and were best friends. But every once in a while they went through rocky patches of intense war. It set Vader on the edge as he never knew when a spat was going to break out and that left the Dark Lord pretty unprepared. "Both of you shut up. What have I said about name calling?"

"But Daddy..." Leia began

"No I won't have it. Apologize to each other." Luke and Leia glared at each other. Vader tapped his foot impatiently. "Now" he said in a firm tone.

The twins exchanged sulky apologies and returned to their dinner. Vader sighed and rubbed his forehead. "And why are you still in your uniforms?"

"We were doing our homework and didn't have time to change." Luke muttered.

"Speaking of which I have not seen your homework, I want it in fifteen minutes. That gives you enough time to finish eating, change for bed, hand in your homework, and be in bed by eight."

"But Dad the pod race is coming on at nine and..." Luke began.

"Your bedtime is eight. Don't argue Luke. What's the point of that recording system you had to have if you don't use it?"

"But watching the race a day after is not the same!" Luke said. "Arro's parents let him stay up" he added with a pout. Luke looked at his father appealingly, hoping the news that his best friends parents were lenient on bedtime would prompt his father to let him stay up.

"Well you're not Arro and I am not his parents. You'll be in bed by eight. Leia, stop sulking and finish your food before I get really angry"

Leia's head jolted up from where she had been playing with her food. She stuffed a piece of vegetable in her mouth hurriedly. Vader cast his kids one more look before he left the dining room and headed for the kitchen. Atina stood at the sink, loading the dishwasher. She looked up as her employer entered. Atina was a strong opinionated woman. She had to be, to survive under Lord Vader. She had been startled when she had discovered who she would be working for, but she had proven herself trustworthy and dependable over time. She was one of the few people the dark lord actually respected.

Vader leaned against the door and released a sigh. "What is going on with them?"

"Oh Milord, just kids they age. Stubborn, clashing opinions, and stuff. They'll get over it"

"I'm tired of playing referee each time. Do you know I got a call from their school?"

Atina raised an eyebrow and shuffled uncomfortably. Whenever the twins got in trouble, she was always nervous about how her employer would react. "What about this time?"

"Luke's been skipping school, Leia's sassing the teachers, they fight when they are at school. They refuse to do projects together. The list goes on. I don't understand it, they are good kids" Vader said tiredly. Vader didn't voice it out but he was more than a little concerned.

Atina felt sorry for Vader though she didn't show it. Poor man, he so young and has all this responsibility, plus the bringing up of children. It made her wonder what had prompted him to adopt them in the first place. His schedule wasn't ideal for the bringing up of a merry family. Choosing her words carefully Atina said to Vader "It doesn't mean you are bad father. Kids, they go through this phase of rebellion. They like to test the waters and that sort of thing"

Vader's eyebrow flickered slightly at her words. and he frowned. "I don't remember going through that phase" he said.

Atina gave a stifled a snort of laughter. "Oh trust me Milord. I am most certain you did." she said. She glanced out the door at the twins before turning back to her work. "Maybe they just miss you"

Vader sensed her mirth and scowled as he pondered the situation with the twins quietly. "Are you saying this is because I am not home as much as I used to be? That all this trouble making and arguing is a cry for attention?" he asked sharply.

Atina shrugged. "I don't know, you do spend the afternoon with them everyday when you're in town. I don't know." she said quickly. She glanced at Vader and said cautiously. "Maybe you should go see your therapist?"

The room immediately filled with a dark aura as Vader bristled."Owen Kenobi?" he practically snarled. "I don't think so."

Atina bit her lip. "But Milord..."

"NO!" Vader snapped.

Atina squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, she was about to step into dangerous waters and she knew it. She wagged a finger at Vader. "Now what's the point in having a therapist if you ain't gonna use him? Small problems often become serious "Mr. Do you want Luke to be caught shoplifting before you are ready to see a therapist?" She took a breath before continuing. "I am with these kids 24 to the 7 and trust me when I say they need some therapizing." she ended her tirade, expecting Vader's infamous choke hold to make an appearance.

Vader gave her a furious glare but his hands remained crossed at his chest.

Feeling braver, Atina continued. "And don't you be giving me that look Lord Vader. I know you didn't hire me to watch them children just to ruin their lives by doing stupid stuff. I'll do my job. I DO my job. You know that" she said looking him straight in the eye.

Vader's glare intensified. He hated the unknown control Atina had over him, he feared she would leave and he would be stuck without a nanny. Trustworthy people were hard to find, and Atina was worth her weight in gold. He also feared the fact the she didn't seem afraid of him. No, over the years Atina had proved quite a force to reckon with. And Vader hated to admit it, but he was forced to respect her because of it.

They held a glare stand-off before Vader's scowl intensified. "Very well Atina. I'll make an appointment for them first thing tomorrow. Make sure the twins are in bed on time." Vader said tiredly.

"Don't I always?" Atina said.

"Yes, you do Atina. What would I do without you?" Vader said sarcastically.

"You would be in some big trouble." Atina muttered under her breath. She turned and called after Vader. "Milord?"

"Yes Atina?"

"Better hang in there, the teen years are still on their way" She began to chuckle darkly.

Vader watched her blankly, but he couldn't stop the small smile that crossed his face as he walked to his office. He made the appointment for the twins the next day and sighed. He rarely had to go to his assigned therapist lately. They had fulfilled their required appointments, the twins had settled in and everything had been going fine.

As he made the appointment, he could hear Owen's assuring voice from the call. "I'm sure its nothing serious, Mr Skywalker. Kids just go through phases and this impacts their emotions".

The man irritated him to no end, but he hadn't meddled much with Vader's plans for the twins and that had spared his life. In addition, the twins seemed to like the man.

* * *

><p>Bail leaned forward and observed his fellow Alliance chiefs. Mon Mothma chaired the meeting and spoke about various issues and projects the alliance was working on. As she spoke about Vader's relentless pursuit of the rebels and how they needed to fortify their communications, Bail cast a nervous glance at the hooded figure seated in the corner of the room. Brown eyes stared back at him unseeingly as Black Rose focused on the wall behind him.<p>

Mon turned to Bail. "I'll hand over to Senator Organa to give a briefing of the active bases"

Bail turned back to the others and began to read off the numerous recruiting successes, small attacks won against the empire, and security issues in the bases. Pausing, he looked over the list. "The base in Imperial Capital is the most neglected of our bases, yet time and time again they have amazed us with their help in providing intell, high levels of recruitment and they happen to live in the most trooper ridden city in the galaxy."

The chief members nodded and murmured approval. Bail took a breath, "Unfortunately, now they are need of our help. They are disillusioned at our treatment and several members are growing discontent with their lifestyles of hiding." he said, "Some are speaking of disbanding"

The room filled with angry raised voices as the members spoke up in indignation.

"They need reassurance" A gentle voice said breaking above the chorus. Everyone turned to face the petite woman now standing in the corner. "The cause we have taken up is a harsh burden for anyone to bear. But to bear it alone in the most dangerous city, that is too much to ask of anyone. Our friends in Imperial Capital are simply asking for support and acknowledgement of their hard work."

"Black Rose" Mon Mothma said leaning back. "What do you suggest?"

Black Rose shrugged.

"Perhaps a visit from a leading founder?" Someone suggested. "A tour perhaps?"

Bail nodded. "That is a good idea. I could go as senate will soon be in session"

Mon Mothma shook her head. "No, senators are already watched close enough without you bringing any attention to yourself. You know you are already on the watched list"

"I could go" Black Rose spoke. "I'm a founding member of the alliance and I have made visits to all the other outlying bases."

"No!" Bail objected. "Black Rose...it's not safe...we cannot risk your discovery" He said.

Black Rose pouted at Bail. "There would be no discovery. I'd be with Ben and I know he will protect me" she said. "I believe the journey would be quite safe, we would use our own personal flyer to get Imperial Capital and once there use public transport. We would be hard to pick out from the crowds and we can blend in securely."

Bail opened his mouth to object but Black Rose raised her hand. "I don't deserve any preferential treatment and I am sure Ben feels the same" she indicated to the man beside her. "He is more than capable of looking after me. Going to bases to reinforce them and encourage them has always been close to my heart. Why should Imperial Capital be any different?"

"Black Rose is right" Mon Mothma said giving Bail a pointed look so he would not reveal why they had to keep Black Rose's identity a secret. "She does a wonderful job visiting the bases and I just recently received word that Vader's ship the Executor is chasing ghosts in the outer rim. We all know he is seldom apart from it."

"So its settled then" Black Rose said. "We will leave within the week."

Bail met her challenging gaze and shook his head. She shrugged and returned to her seat. _I have bad feeling about this,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Padmé walked swiftly through the hallways of the Mon Mothma's large Corellian cruiser where the meeting had been held. Now that she had volunteered to go to Imperial Capital, she had a few days to prepare. She entered the code to her room and stepped in. She yawned and moved to her closet to retrieve her suitcase. It was mostly packed as she lived out her suitcase these days. The past few years she had lived from this same suitcase hopping from base to base.<p>

She rarely went home to visit her family as she knew her parents disapproved of her work in the Alliance. It was almost as if after Master Yoda, Obi-Wan and Bail faked death, her family wanted her to have nothing to do with politics. They wanted her to sit at home, cook and merrily sew little cushions. Padmé couldn't do that. And so Black Rose was created. The fierce rebel leader who made daring visits to rebel bases in open defiance of the Emperor and his regime. Padmé needed to do something that made her think she was making a difference. Something that made her feel like she was closer to finding her lost children. She sighed and sat down on the bed. _Seven years_. She had been without her children seven years.

Padmé shook herself out of her thoughts and returned to her task. She turned as her door opened and Obi-Wan stepped in. He was shrouded in his cloak, but Padmé knew she had annoyed him. She didn't have to see the disapproving frown on his face to know he was displeased. She faced him patiently waiting for him to speak first. Obi-Wan leaned against the now closed door and observed her.

"Padmé. What in the blazes were you thinking? No, what are you thinking?!"

Padmé gave him a look and turned back to her suitcase. "Obi-Wan. Don't." She said in a pleading tone. "Do you know weather its getting cold in the area we are going to?" She said pulling out a sweater tunic and holding it up "Do you think this will be warm enough?"

Obi-Wan's calm nature was tested and he pursed his lips. "Padmé…" he began. "You make my job as your protector extremely hard. I dont think you understand the risk of us going to Coruscant" he said as if speaking to a child.

Padmé scowled at him and packed the sweater. "I do know the risk. But you heard Mon, Ani...Vader is in the outer rim" she said.

"But he could return at any minute! Let's not even talk about the Emperor being able to sense you, or how many troopers are in the city. You seem to have forgotten, I am a Jedi. All Jedi are on the kill list"

"Obi-Wan, I haven't been in a wormhole for the past seven years. This wont be the first time you've gone into the Imperial fire pit" She said annoyed.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I can see you've made your mind up. I am not going to argue with you. But if anything goes wrong, I warned you" he said gloomily.

Padmé sighed. She started to apologize to her friend but stopped and continued packing. She was surprised Obi-Wan hadn't picked on the real reason she wanted to go to Imperial Capital. Her children. She had spent the past two years trying to find her children. She had failed to track the single father who had adopted the twins. Now her plan was to go to Imperial Capital and hire a private investigator. Someone who was based in the same city as her children, someone who had access and wasn't hindered by secret identities. She needed someone who could devote their endless time to finding two children in a planet filled with seven year olds.

She wanted her children back. She was going to do everything in her power to find them before it was too late. Whether Obi-Wan liked it or not they were going to the Imperial Capital. Nothing would go wrong. She was sure of that. In fact, she had a rather good feeling about it this trip.


	9. An Angel Pt 1

**Author's note: **Finals are over! Hip hip hooray! Soo relieved. Okay, onto the chapter….this was part of the original chapter eight. I am sure there will be questions so I'll try answer them. Though I suspect this one will be one: So in an earlier chapter, Vader realized the twins are force sensitive. At this point the twins have been trained to cloak their presence.

Thank you for reading, for what is a story without readers?

Thanks to my beta reader Kolodey.

* * *

><p>Vader glanced up from his plate. The table was so quiet he could hear the water dripping in the kitchen. Luke and Leia both sat on either side of him in silence. Luke kept casting glances between his father and Leia. Leia sat in stony silence looking at her food, refusing to touch it. Vader wondered what was up with them this time. Another fight, perhaps? How had they found time to fight? It was only six in the morning! Vader observed them quietly before he shrugged and turned to Luke.<p>

"Luke, how is that StarX3 droid coming along?"

"It's coming...I just have to figure out how to install the memory chip...keeps rejecting it" Luke said between bites.

"Do you want me to help?" Vader offered. Perhaps if this was a cry for attention, he better make time to spend it with each twin personally.

Luke looked at his father with wide eyes. "Would you?"

"Sure, I won't be overly busy tomorrow. How does that work?"

"Alright! Awesome Dad! thanks!" Luke tended to be the more enthusiastic of the two. He was easily excitable and would remain on a high for a longer period than his sister would.

Leia glared at her twin and resumed to study her food. Vader stood up and threw the remains of his food to Bleu. "Atina, come clear the plates up. Miss Leia seems to have lost her appetite." he said dryly. Leia gave him a dismayed look but hardened her gaze quickly. Vader sighed and decided he had to get to the root of her problem. He knelt beside her. "Sweetheart?"

Leia ignored him and remained staring at her food.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Vader pressed.

Leia eyes filled with tears and she clambered into Vader's lap. Vader was stunned. Lately as the twins had grown older they had become independent, and they required less hugs and cuddles than before. "Okay Leia, what's going on?"

Leia sniffled. "Luke and I fought this morning and he said...he said...he wasn't my brother anymore!" with that Leia burst into tears.

Vader turned and gave Luke a look. "Luke?"

Luke squirmed under his father's gaze. "She said I had bad morning breath and that I have the hygiene habits of a Wookie!"

Vader wanted to scream out loud but instead he sat on on his chair. "Why are you two fighting so much?"

Atina appeared and shook her head as she cleared the table. She pushed Leia's plate to her and watched as the girl began to devour her food. Vader repeated his question and Luke shrugged in response.

"I don't know. We don't start out fighting" he finally said.

Vader sighed. "I guess you two can talk about this later at the therapists" he said. To be honest he was very glad he had set up an appointment with Owen Kenobi because the twins' arguments were getting out of hand.

The twins eyes lit up. "We are going to see Mr. Owen?" they asked.

"Yes. After school" Vader stood up and placed Leia down. "Let's go. I have a meeting to get to and I would like to be on time"

He had found fatherhood was capital for bringing up unforeseen crises when he had some important event to attend to. He couldn't count the times he had been late on the twins' account.

Luke stood and grabbed his backpack and his sisters. He smiled at her. "I'll be your brother again if you like" he said shyly while giving her the backpack.

Leia returned the smile and took the bag. Vader and Atina exchanged tired looks and Vader followed the now jabbering children out of the dining room.

* * *

><p>Padmé felt extremely nervous at being in the Imperial Capital. Palpatine and Vader both thought her to be dead and the very thought comforted her. Obi-wan walked beside her but kept a space between them as though they weren't together. Her work with the Rebel Alliance had brought her here and Obi-Wan had decided that he wanted to visit a friend of his. Padmé wondered what kind of a friend the Jedi had in the trooper ridden city. She let out a sigh and picked up her pace to catch up with the agile Jedi Master. She didn't have time for any friends these days. She spent her time working with the alliance. She hardly made time for her family. At least Obi-Wan was making an effort to keep in touch with his friend. Whoever he was.<p>

Obi-Wan led her to a small public speederbus platform. They waited for the bus and boarded quietly. As they flew through the vaguely familiar city, Padmé noticed they had entered what was now considered the Imperial quarter. Padmé leaned forward with a worried frown. "Ben?" she asked using his code name "Where are we going?"

Obi-Wan gave a slight smile. "You'll see" he said quietly.

The speederbus came to stop and Obi-Wan made a move to disembark, Padmé followed him now more than a little concerned. They had disembarked in the middle of what was known as New District. It was filled with skyscrapers, and numerous buildings and landspeeders that coursed through the busy streets. Opposite the main center where the buses stopped was a huge park spanning several miles. Trees of different colors grew thickly, fountains and ponds adorned it, and beautiful flowers bloomed. Padmé looked at the sight in awe realizing it was spring in the area. Obi-Wan turned to her.

"Do you have your fake imperial id?" he whispered.

Padmé's eyes widened and she nodded as she wondered why they were here. Obi-Wan didn't say a word as he moved off the platform to where people were lined up waiting to be let in through the gate tolls manned by troopers. Obi-Wan appeared calm while Padmé was freaking out. As they neared the booths Obi-Wan was called to one line and Padmé to another. She gave Obi-Wan a frightened look.

"Stay calm" he mouthed.

Padmé looked into the black eyes of the trooper's mask. She smiled nervously to the white mask. Of course, she knew he couldn't smile back. "ID" he said curtly, the sound slightly muffled.

Padmé hurriedly handed over the false id. The trooper swiped the card and studied his screen and her. "Rose Black?" he asked. Padmé nodded. He returned the card without a comment. "Have a nice day. Next!"

Padmé legs shook as she hurried past him. Obi-Wan waited for her on the other side with a smile. "Not bad huh?"

"I was about to faint" Padmé said with a shiver. Obi-Wan laughed and led her down a sidewalk. "Are we going to the park?" she asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head and pointed to a nearby building. "Over there." he said.

"How big is this place?"

"Well, it spans several building that were formally residential areas for the rich. Many fled after the empires inception and Palpatine didn't know what to do with the vacant buildings and so he formed New District. You have to be a rule follower to live or work here. There are several upper class malls, businesses, schools, apartments, hotels you name it. Its like a little haven for imperialists"

"So why does you friend live here?"

"Don't be like that Padmé, he is one of us. He just prefers to do it here. Get's more intel this way" He said as they crossed the road. "This place is guarded day and night by troopers and you need an ID to enter."

"How many gates are there?"

"Few, some by air and road. Some specifically for buses and public transport"

"And you always go through that?"

"Yes."

They entered the large building and entered the turbo lift. Obi-Wan punched one of the digits and waited patiently. The lift stopped once on the way up when a man got on. He was still in the elevator when Padmé and Obi-Wan reached their floor. The floor had several offices and Obi-Wan walked down to a small door in the corner of the building. He opened the door and peeped in.

"Obi-Wan? Come in!" a female voice said.

Obi-Wan entered the room with a smile, Padmé followed close behind him. The room was larger than Padmé had initially thought. A corner was dedicated to a children's play center. The rest of the room held ample seating for adults, with magazines and on the viewscreen the HoloNet News ran. A small table in the corner held some refreshments.

The voice they had heard earlier came from a woman with black hair. She beamed at Obi-Wan from her desk in the corner. "How are you? We haven't seen you in ages"

"I am well. This is my friend Padmé. Padmé, this is Elina my sister-in-law"

Padmé raised an eyebrow in shock. Obi-Wan had a brother? "Nice to meet you Elina. Ben's never mentioned you before"

"Nor you, but its a pleasure."

"Is Owen busy?" Obi-Wan asked nodding in the direction of the office.

"He is with a client right now but it's closing time." She gestured to where a little boy sat watching them with large intelligent blue eyes. "He is just waiting for his father to get him"

Obi-Wan looked at the boy for several minutes before turning back to speak with Elina. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the boy had a very familiar presence.

Padmé stared at the child and couldn't stifle the stab of pain she felt. For some reason, staring at the boy made her think of her babies. What a beautiful child he was. He had long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes with chubby cheeks. At the moment he looked so lonesome Padmé wanted to kiss him and hug him. He wore a hat and with a cute matching leather jacket and boots. _Rich kid_. Padmé thought. She noticed that he was watching her very keenly too. She smiled at him and he smiled back uncertainly.

Padmé was just getting up the nerve to walk over and talk to him when a brown skinned woman appeared with a girl beside her. Padmé figured they had come from the fresher. The boy beamed at his sister. She was just as beautiful as her brother. She had long dark hair pulled into a ponytail. She wore a dark jumpsuit that Padmé knew for a fact had just come out in a prestigious designer children's line. Padmé sighed, why was it rich kids were always in the therapists office? No matter how adorable they were, it seemed they were always in some sort of trouble. As the girl sat down beside her brother, he whispered something to her.

Padmé sat down opposite the adorable children, while Obi-Wan talked in a low voice with Elina. She felt left out and instead watched the two children longingly. What were her own Luke and Leia up to? She wondered if these two were twins. The boy continued to whisper something to the girl and she looked at Padmé. Her brown eyes studying her intently. Padmé smiled slightly and the girl immediately returned it with a wide one of her own. She said something to her nanny and the two children got up and made their way to Padmé. Padmé watched them in shock. Were they coming to her?

"Hi!" the girl said a cheeky grin forming on her face as she stood in front Padme.

_Certainly very confident_, Padmé thought. "Hello" she replied.

The girl nudged her brother who was looking at Padmé shyly. "He's shy, we wanted to ask you a question"

Padmé was amused. "Ask away" she said.

The boy shuffled from foot to foot before he blurted out "Are you an..angel?"

Padmé felt an electric shock of déjà vu pass through her. _Boy, if I had a credit for every time I heard that one_. "What?" she asked not quite believing her ears.

"An angel. Our father told us about them. They live on the moons of Iego. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe" the boy said.

Padmé looked into his blue eyes and for a moment she thought she had gone back in time. It was as if Anakin were staring at her through the eyes of this little boy.

"Uh..." Padmé stuttered. She smiled at the oddness of getting the same question twice in lifetime with the same explanation. "You are funny little kids, how do you know so much?"

"Our father tells us a lot of stories. He has been all over the galaxy! He's an awesome pilot. When I grow up I am gonna be just like him" the boy said, his eyes had lit up just talking about his father.

"I want to be a politician. Daddy says you need to a strong sense of priority to be a senator." The girl said with the air of a mature person. "I am sure I possess that"

Padmé had to bite in the strong urge to laugh. "I see that. I think you'll both be very successful at your various careers. I knew a pilot and a senator once..." she stopped lost in her own thoughts.

"What about them?" The girl asked.

"Was the pilot awesome?" The boy said immediately after.

His sister gave him a look."Pilot? What about the senator?"

Padmé laughed at the children's open curiosity. "The pilot was urm..awesome. He was one of the best and the senator...well she was pretty exceptional herself. They met once when they were both very young" Padmé wondered why she was hashing up her history to two complete strangers. Children for that matter. She wondered if they were bored as children were by stories at that age.

"Well?" The girl's voice prodded her out of her thoughts. "Go on!"

Padmé couldn't hide a smile. "Well the pilot was just a boy but he fell in love with the senator and..."

"Alright you two. Your father is on his way and you know he hates waiting. Let's get outside" Their nanny interrupted. She smiled at Padmé while eyeing her distrustfully.

Padmé felt slightly uncomfortable. The children didn't seem to notice. "Is he going to come for our next session with Mr. Owen?" The boy asked.

Their nanny shrugged and turned to Padmé. "I'm sorry if they bothered you. They said it was an emergency."

Padmé smiled politely. "It was no bother. I often think child curiosity is an emergency"

The woman eyed her for a while before she smiled a genuine smile. "It is that. Especially with these two. It's hard to keep track of them. Come on you two let's go. I for one am not interested in receiving 'the Atina, I gave express instructions' lecture'"

The two children turned to leave reluctantly. They stopped as they were almost out of the room and ran back to Padmé. "What happened with the senator and pilot?" The girl asked.

The moment had passed and Padmé's guard was back up."It's a long story" Padmé said feeling Obi-Wan's sharp eye on her.

"Maybe we'll run into you in the park. We go there a lot. Will you have time then?" The boy said cocking his head at Padmé and looking at her. Padmé sighed, she never could resist blue eyes.

Padmé laughed. "Perhaps. Now you better run along before your nanny gets angry"

"Bye Angel!" they chorused and like little pixies disappeared through the door. Padmé clutched the japor snippet in her hand and felt the tears brink. _Angel_.

* * *

><p>"She had the most amazing eyes..."<p>

"And hair! I wish she wore it out. It was nice and curly"

"She told us of a senator who..."

"And a pilot!"

Vader smiled at his children in amusement. They were seldom keyed up about anything. Much less about the random strangers they met in Owen Kenobi's office. And there were a lot of weird people who went to see the therapist. Vader paused and wondered if that made him weird too. "Alright you two. Bed. Now"

"But don't you want to hear the rest of the story?" Leia asked.

"You don't know the rest of the story dollface" Luke said getting into bed. He covered his head with the blanket.

Vader felt himself tense. Oh no, they had been getting on so well. He watched Leia's reaction nervously. She laughed and got into her own bed. "Whatever brain-bolt"

"Hey!"

"Okay guys. Lights out. Let's leave the bickering for tomorrow." Vader raised his hand about to turn off the lights and turned to leave when Leia stopped him.

"No goodnight kiss?"

Vader's heart warmed. "I thought...you didn't want one yesterday" he said feeling stupid like an awkward teenager on a second date. How was it possible that another woman had stolen his heart again? He bent down and tenderly kissed Leia's forehead.

"I love you Daddy" she giggled.

"I love you too Leia" Vader whispered, he turned to Luke "and I love you Luke"

"Mm Hmm. Love you too Dad" A muffled reply came.

Vader shook his head and waved his hand to turn off the light. He left the room and went to his office. He hated to admit it but some days he felt as though his pursuit of ruling the galaxy wasn't worth it. As long as he had his children's love, that's all he needed. But then the darkness and anger would consume him again and he would forget his feelings and become fixated on his goal.

Sidious wasn't aware that his loyal apprentice was already making alliances with key players in the empire so he could takeover. He had secured most of the Imperial Army to his side through his harsh ways and fair judgement. The men knew Vader was tough and at times cruel, but the Dark Lord seemed to be fair and always recognized good honest work. The Emperor on the other hand was so corrupted and unfair that he simply furthered those of the same nature as his.

Vader folded his arms and looked out his window. _Soon_. Soon he would be ready to kill his master. Then together with his children he would rule the galaxy. The twins were strong in the force. He knew they would be very powerful when the time came for them to take over. He felt a flicker through the force from them and decided to check on them. He opened the door and smiled. "I said lights out"

Luke's head came from under the covers. "Lights are out!"

Vader narrowed his eyes in mock anger. "Datapads too" he said.

Luke sighed and turned his datapad off. "Alright...goodnight Dad"

Vader entered the room and scruffed Luke's hair. Luke dodged away with laugh. "Dad!"

Vader raised a finger to his lips and pointed it in Leia's direction. Luke's eyes widened and he nodded. Vader leaned and kissed his son's hair. "Goodnight Luke. Now go to sleep and tomorrow we'll work on that droid okay?"

Luke nodded enthusiastically and burrowed into bed. Vader left the room and stood by the door watching as Luke fell asleep and Leia turned around contentedly. The twins were happy children and that's all Vader wanted.

"You must be doing something right" he muttered and left the room. He returned to his office immersing himself in work for the night.

Somewhere, not very far away a brokenhearted mother cried herself to sleep..


	10. So close and still so far

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! Lazy days….loving it. Sorry for the long space between updates. I thought I'd be quicker about it but apparently not. Soooo anyway…thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys keep me going :D. Enjoy the chapter.

Thanks to my beta reader Kolodey. You're harsh for all the good reasons :-).

* * *

><p>Vader opened his eyes and wondered when he had fallen asleep. It couldn't have been that long as he felt cheated out of sleep. He looked at the chrono and sighed. <em>0300<em>. He contemplated going back to sleep but shunned the need as a weakness. He pushed out of his chair and walked to the twins bedroom. As the house was silent, he figured Atina had probably gone to bed hours ago. He cracked the bedroom door open carefully and walked over to the twins beds. Once there, he brushed the twins minds with the force to check that they were not plagued by nightmares. They were asleep peacefully. Vader stood between the beds watching the twins sleep because it soothed his soul.. Atina told him it was a creepy thing to do but he didn't care. Vader stood there unaware of the changing light outside the window. Instead he stood in the middle of the room and let his children's innocence wash over his tortured soul.

However, the peaceful moment did not last long as his communicator began to buzz. He hurriedly left the room before it woke the twins. It was his master. Vader walked to his office quickly and answered it on his holoprojector. Kneeling before his master, Vader feigned obeisance, "Yes my master?"

"Lord Vader" Sidious gravelly voice said. "Your love of Imperial Capital seems to be growing" The Emperor seemed to be irritated that his second-in-command was often in the Imperial Capital.

Vader chose to ignore the comment and pursed his lips. "Your bidding my master?"

"There is an uprising in Adarlon. It's in the Minos system. The whole planet is revolting against our power. I want you to put down the rebellion strongly. Make an example of these altruists."

"I'll leave right away Master" Vader said getting ready to stand.

"Lord Vader. We're not finished." Sidious said. Vader rocked back into position. "Among the news of the uprising are rumors that the rebellion is fueled by a former jedi or a being who is force sensitive"

Vader's ears pricked up in interest. _A jedi?_ Vader suddenly found himself more interested in this mission than he was earlier on. The Emperor continued. "I don't need to tell you what to do with this particular threat if found, do I Lord Vader?"

"No my master" Vader said not even bothering to conceal the glee he felt at the thought of the torture he would put the Jedi through.

"Excellent. I expect good things from this mission" Sidious said.

* * *

><p>Padmé sat at the dining table as Elina put breakfast in front of her. She smiled at the woman and played with the hearty breakfast in front of her. Elina sat down opposite her and her husband sat down beside her. Owen clasped his hands and leaned on the table, looking at Padmé intently.<p>

"So, Padmé Obi-Wan tells me you're a mother"

Padmé's head shot up and she stared at the man in shock. "Wh...at?" she managed to sputter.

"He says you gave birth to twins but lost them. Do you want to talk about it?"

Realization dawned on Padmé. That crazy Jedi Master thought she needed therapy. Was this his plan? To bring her here and leave her alone with his therapist brother? Where was Obi-Wan anyway?

"I..Not really" she said stuffing her mouth with a piece of fruit.

"I understand. It can be hard to talk about such painful issues, but talking about it helps with the grieving process..."

Padmé had heard enough. "Was this Obi-Wan's idea?" She began harshly. "Because I am coping perfectly fine. After all how can I grieve for children I've never even held?" Padmé's voice wavered and she bit her lip to keep in the tears that threatened to fall. One escaped into her fruit bowl.

Owen smiled sadly and moved closer. "Padmé, yes this was Obi-Wan's idea. He says you've never cried for your loss..."

"They are NOT dead! I just...I have to find them..." She was in a serious battle with her tears and she knew it was one she was ultimately going to lose. Why now? Why after seven years did she want to break down about it?

Padmé had never cried over the fact she didn't have her children. She always chalked her reason for crying up to something else. Like the night before when she had cried herself to sleep, she blamed it on the fact she had slammed her finger in the bathroom cabinet doors. It had hurt! So bad. She took a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about this" she said.

"You need to. I know you think I am somewhat of a villain poking at an open wound. But how can you find your children if you don't allow yourself to cry for what's lost?"

Padmé studied the intricate pattern on the plate before her. "I can't cry. I am afraid if I do, I'll never find them..." Padmé was past the verge of tears into crying.

"That is ridiculous. You will find them because of your determination and your love" Owen said.

Padmé sighed, the man was relentless. "I guess so. It just feels like... crying is giving up" She was close to blubbering. Elina reached out and took Padmé's hands in her own. "I just want my babies...what if they don't even want me? Or don't need me anymore?" Padmé sobbed. She cursed in her mind, this was why she didn't talk about it or cry. It just made her feel like crap. All she was doing was killing herself with "what if's".

Owen shook his head. "Padmé, your children will always need you. Even if they don't know it right now, something is missing in their lives and that something is you"

Padmé sniffed and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. Her lower lip trembled and she took a deep breath. "I hope..so. It's just so hard to not think like that"

Owen nodded. "I know. Trust me your kids will start looking for you. It always happens. and I have a feeling yours are closer to that process than you think."

Padmé nodded her head and prayed that the man's words would come true. She bit her lip feeling her eyes fill with tears. While Owen's words sounded reasonable, she couldn't help but feel like someone had ripped the bacta patch off her healing wound. She smiled to cover up her tears and tried to eat her breakfast. Owen and Elina seemed to understand that she was done talking and carried on with their meal in silence.

* * *

><p>Vader walked into the dining room where Luke and Leia were already seated eating their breakfast. Atina had apparently chosen to do her famous breakfast casserole today. Vader sniffed the air appreciatively. As he stood there he wondered why did those annoying rebels have to keep cropping up? He had been summoned to his ship due to pressing information of recent rebel activity in the Mid Rim territories. Atina looked up as he entered.<p>

"Morning Milord" She never said sir or Lord Vader in front of the children. "Are you hungry?"

Vader gave a thin grimace. "I am, unfortunately my hunger will have to wait" He bent and kissed both twins heads. "Morning you two"

"Morning Daddy" Leia said looking up at him with smile. She indicated to his plate. "I saved you some casserole. Luke was going to eat it all"

Luke grinned guiltily. "It's really good. I swear it gets better each time"

"That's good. I have to go, have some business to do on the ship" Vader said pouring himself a cup of coffee. He took a small sip and gauged the twins reactions.

Luke and Leia's heads shot up and Vader watched as their faces melted with sadness. "But Daddy, it's the weekend!" Leia whined.

"Yeah! And you promised we would work on the StarX3 droid" Luke said in his best whiny tone.

Vader sighed. He hated letting his children down."I know and I am sorry, but it can't be helped. I don't know how long I'll be gone" He said.

"But you promised..." Luke's lowered his head as his eyes filled with tears.

Leia looked at her brother sympathetically. "Aww, don't feel bad Luke. I'll help if you like" she offered.

Luke scowled and he raised his shoulders. "It's not the same!"

Vader felt his heart clench at the hurt look in his son's eyes. "We'll work on it first thing when I get back. I'll even let you stay up and eat lots of ice cream."

Atina shook her head at Vader in disapproval and he tried not to feel guilty. Vader tried not to bribe the twins often but he did it more often than not. It seemed to work as both twins cheered up.

"You mean you'll wake me up if you come home in the middle of the night?" Luke asked.

"Us!" Leia corrected.

Vader nodded. "If you want. Now promise to be good for Atina. You know she is in charge when I am gone and If I hear about fighting..."

"We know you'll call the sibling police!" The twins chorused. Vader smiled.

When the twins had first began fighting viciously Owen had suggested a system called the "sibling police". This system involved sibling cards that allowed the twins to play with each other. However, if they fought then an adult would call in the sibling police to take away the sibling cards and that meant the siblings couldn't play with each other anymore. The twins seldom feared the sibling police when they were at peace but the mere mention of it in an argument could reduce both siblings to tears.

Vader finished his coffee and said goodbye to the twins. Their short lived happiness immediately disappeared and they began to plead with him not to go. Vader felt torn, he wished he didn't have to leave them, but it was what it was. He was doing this for them, so they would have an Empire to rule when they were older.

* * *

><p>A knock sounded at the bedroom door while Padmé sat doing her makeup. Padmé looked up from the dresser and knew it was Obi-Wan from the way he knocked. "Come in" she said coldly.<p>

Obi-Wan entered and leaned against the door. His face held a guilty expression as he noticed Padmé's cool temperament. "Hello there" he said quietly.

Padmé sighed and continued dabbing at her face with applying concealer. The whole planet didn't need to know she had been crying. She brushed her skin tone even and turned around to face her friend.

He studied her with keen eyes. "You've been crying"

"Hello genius! What do you expect me to do if you leave me alone with a therapist who happens to start talking about the most private and painful subject of my life?"

Padmé didn't really want an answer to the unreasonable question. She really shouldn't be mad at Obi-Wan, he meant well. But some things were better left buried.

"I'm sorry. I should have warned you. But if I did you wouldn't have come with me"

"Hmm you've got that right"

"I suppose you want to leave after our work is complete?"

Padmé considered. She normally would leave a base location after finishing her work. But Luke's words "_we go to the park a lot, maybe we'll run into you there" _echoed in her mind.

She sighed. "No I actually wouldn't mind staying awhile. Elina said she would take me shopping. Apparently the stores here are amazing and I haven't shopped in a while. My closet is a little dated."

Afterwhile she added "Then she said we could go to the park" Padmé said nonchalantly.

Obi-Wan looked at her sharply as she put the finalizing touches of her makeup. He could tell she had an ulterior plan. Politicians always did, it was never straight up them. Women were even worse. But he decided not to poke into it. That was her private business. "Very well. I am rather glad. I haven't seen Owen in a while. We could catch up"

Padmé nodded. "I have a question. I thought Jedi didn't have attachments?" She asked running a brush through her short hair.

"We don't or at least are not supposed to. Owen is an acquaintance. Before the empire's inception, I was aware that he lived in Coruscant. Never bothered looking him up or meeting him. After...well you realize somethings are special"

Padmé read his hidden meaning. After losing the one person he considered a brother Obi-Wan had needed to connect with someone.

"I am glad for you. He seems nice" Padmé said. She wiped her hands with a cleansing wipe and picked up her purse. "Well we better leave now, Obi-Wan." she said slipping past him.

* * *

><p>Vader stood on the bridge of the Executor watching his men scurry up and down. He kept an eye on them, however, his thoughts were far away. He hated leaving the twins behind or disappointing them. The twins were very sensitive and hated it when he left them. But it couldn't be helped. He had work to do. Work as the second in command of the galaxy was neverending. But Vader could handle it. He was the most powerful sith lord the galaxy had seen after all. Vader had no doubt about that. In fact, he was so certain of the fact that he endured his masters enraged punishment sessions without so much as a grimace. One day, Sidious would burn and it would be at his own apprentice's hand.<p>

Vader watched the ship's progress towards Adarlon boredly. To be honest, Vader was tired of being sent like the imperial hound to quash down every rebelling planet that came up. But this particular case intrigued him because there were rumours of a Jedi sighting in Adarlon. Vader often got bored of his predictable sparring droids and relished real live encounters with Jedi where he came out the victor. Each time he came across a Jedi, he couldn't help but hope the mysterious jedi would be his former master so he could finally rid the galaxy of…...that, that vermin.

Adarlon was a small planet in the Minos cluster. Populated mostly by republicans, it was a semi-haven for former senators and republican supporters. In short, it was a boiling pot for rebel tension and was always watched keenly by the Imperials. Recently, a group of particularly bold men had openly rebelled against their Imperial leaders. This uprising had prompted Sidious to send Vader to put down the wide spreading rebellion.

Vader intended to make short work of the job. His plan was simple and ruthless. He planned to storm the planet, kill anyone who opposed his authority and find the confounded Jedi rumored to live there.

Vader turned to the approaching footsteps as Admiral Ozzel walked up the bridge. "Ozzel" he said drily.

"Milord, we are arriving in the hour. Any preparations you'd like?"

"Yes have my swoop bike ready for unloading when we arrive. I will be pursuing a private lead and don't want to waste anytime."

"A Jedi milord?"

"Not that concerns you, but yes. Follow the battle plan to the full, I want all the leaders captured alive, kill them if you must, but they are far more useful alive. As for the rest of the rabble wipe them out"

Ozzel nodded and stepped away from the Dark Lord. Vader turned to watch the approaching planet. He reached out in the force and searched for the Jedi: Whoever it was knew or expected the imperials were coming and hid his presence well. _Not for long_, Vader thought sadistically.

An hour later Vader stalked down the Executor's ramp to his awaiting swoop bike. Around him groups of troopers marched in excellent formation towards the main city. In a matter of minutes the peaceful city would be engulfed in chaos. Vader was sure his men would carry out his orders to the last detail. As for him he was off to track this Jedi.

* * *

><p>Padmé lowered her cloak hood and stepped out of the small speeder. Behind her, Obi-wan paid the taxi and watched till the speeder had flown off. Nodding slightly to Padmé, they began to walk through the busy streets of northern Imperial City. Padmé walked quickly behind the fast paced Jedi Master. The base was not far from where their taxi had dropped them off. It was housed in building belonging to a private member of the Alliance. In the building floors, it was a regular office complex rented by people. But in the basement, it housed the Imperial Capital rebel base. Obi-Wan and Padmé entered the building and Padmé walked to the reception desk where a young dark haired man talked with a female togruta.<p>

He looked up at Padmé and smiled. "May I help you ma'am?" he asked.

Padmé nodded and tapped her fingers on the table in code. "Yes, I am looking for the nearest hotel?" she said slowly.

The man watched her hands carefully his face grew serious as he watched her fingers carefully. "Of course, if you will take a left when you exit. You should pass a black door. It's right about there"

Padmé smiled her thanks and she and Obi-Wan exited quickly. They made their way to the black door and Obi-Wan entered a code into the keypad. The door opened to reveal the young man from the desk. He smiled when he saw them.

"Black Rose and Ben Kenobi I presume?" He said in a friendly tone.

"You're correct" Obi-Wan said.

"I am Thilian" He said "Welcome to Imperial Capital, we are very happy and appreciative of your visit. This way please"

The young man jabbered excitedly as he led them through a series of dimly lit tunnels leading under the building. He led them into a room filled with hologram projections. Obi-Wan looked at them in interest. "Is that the Emperor's palace?"

Thilian nodded. "Yes" he said. "We have several members located in different areas of the capital who have enabled us to get visual eyes on several of the imperial locations. Including Lord Vader's palace which is the most protected."

"None of the visuals are from within the buildings, but for instance we know when Vader makes a visit or leaves."

"Is he here right now?" Obi-Wan asked.

Thilian shook his head. "No, the Executor left weeks ago. So did Vader's personal flyer, but it only left a few days ago."

Obi-Wan stared in horror. "Vader was here a few days ago?"

"Yes, of course we can't be sure, as he often has his personal flyer flown to him." Thilian replied.

Obi-Wan frowned.

"Where is everyone?" Padmé asked noting the base corridors and the rooms were empty.

Thilian smiled. "Everyone...is in here" he opened the door to a large room filled with people who erupted into a loud cheer as Obi-Wan and Padmé entered. "As you can see, everyone is really happy to see you Black Rose" he said.

Padmé looked around in wonder. "I see that" she smiled. "I hope we don't disappoint you," She said looking at the brave young men and women with compassion.

* * *

><p>Hours later Vader listened to the noise of troopers fighting rebels. The rebels were putting up an admirable fight, but they were beginning to lose the battle. Vader was frustrated, he had searched around the entire city searching for the mythical jedi. Whoever it was, he was hiding himself and his presence very well. Vader stood near the town center and watched the troopers firing blasters, with a blank expression.<p>

Suddenly he felt it. A small spark from the force came towards him. Vader could tell it hadn't been deliberate on the part of the Jedi. It was most likely caused by the callous treatment of the citizens of Adarlon. Vader followed his force instincts and they led him to a small alley. It was so dark that Vader's eyes had to adjust. Before he had the luxury of seeing he felt a small tug of the force warning him...of an impending attack. Vader whipped out his saber and spun around in time to block the assault of the Jedi. Lightsabers clashed green and red.

"So, you reveal yourself" Vader said in faint amusement. "I am sure you know you won't come out of this encounter alive"

"Well I intend on trying" The man spat.

"Very well, lets get this over with." Vader said breaking their clash hold. "Because I intend on killing you."

* * *

><p>Padmé smiled and shook hands with yet another member of the Alliance. "Thank you for your service. The galaxy <em>will <em>be a better place because of people like you" she said to the young girl.

The girl smiled sadly. "I hope so, my parents were killed in the inception of the Empire. My father was an assistant to Senator Shessaun. She left the Imperial Capital but my father was an active opponent of the new regime"

Padmé sighed. "I'm so sorry" she said to the girl who was trying to blink tears away. "We all lost someone we loved to the Imperials. Some continue to lose even today" Padmé said putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

After the girl moved on, Padmé looked around for her friend. She couldn't spot him in the room and moved to Thilian. "Have you seen Ben?" She asked.

Thilian looked around. "I saw him headed to the projection room, the one with holo images of the Imperial bases." He said.

Padmé thanked him and headed the room. Obi-Wan stood facing a projection of ruin with a pained expression on his face. After a minute of confusion Padmé recognized the building as the Jedi Temple.

"Obi-Wan?" she asked softly.

Obi-Wan started. "Padmé, I didn't see you there." He said as the pained expression disappeared into a light smile. "Tired of playing the celebrity?"

Padmé nodded slowly and stepped beside him. "A little bit. These people are so passionate. It's refreshing. You know? It makes me certain we're doing the right thing"

Obi-Wan's gloomy face returned but he nodded. Padmé studied the once supreme building. "Why are you looking at this?" she asked her friend.

Obi-Wan gave a shrug. "I don't know, sentimentality I guess. This is the closest I can get to it" he paused. "It was the only home I ever knew" he added in a quiet voice.

"Do you miss it?"

"No, I miss what can't ever be replaced, the Jedi Order. I mean even if we restore everything, get the Republic back, and rebuild the order and ruins, it will never be the same. Never with the same people. A lot of the masters I looked up to are dead." he stopped suddenly. "A lot of Jedi are dead, and the few that are alive continue to be killed"

Padmé looked at him sharply noting the tone in his voice. "Obi-Wan is something going on?" she asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Yes. Pain. I feel so much pain in the force and a lot of deaths" he said sadly. "I am not sure what is going on but it's bad. Like a massacre of people."

Padmé frowned at the news. "Where is it happening?"

"I don't know the force is clouded with darkness. I can't use the force to determine anything or the Emperor will sense me." he paused. "But I know a Jedi has just died, I can feel his release into the force"

Padmé looked at her friend pityingly. "I'm sorry" she said.

"It's the will of the force" Obi-Wan said evenly with a slight nod.

* * *

><p>Vader stepped over the Jedi's cloak and walked back town center where the his men had set up base. He stood on the ramp of the Executor and surveyed the damaged city. Minutes ago it had been in chaotic warfare. Now it stood eerily silent as troopers led rebels in restraints and people moved around disillusioned.<p>

Vader felt invigorated with dark side of the force. All his success felt like a confirmation from the force that he was doing the right thing. Yes, the empire was better for the galaxy and he would continue quash any rebellions that opposed it. The corrupt Jedi were almost extinct now thanks to his efforts. Soon the galaxy would be at peace, then Vader would make his move and dispose of the Emperor.


	11. An Angel Pt 2

**Author's note:** Hey guys I'm back! Lol, I had this already typed and I got my beta to read it quicker than usual so I thought, why not? Hope you enjoy it! Xoxoxo

Thanks for your time, Kolodey.

* * *

><p>Padmé walked beside Elina in the park and pulled her patterned wool shawl around her tighter. It was a rather chilly spring in Coruscant. She looked around her in amazement. New District's park was beautiful with several trees in bloom. The chilly air caused some of the water features to freeze making some interesting ice sculptures. There were several benches around for people to sit. There were also large dry patches of grass where kids and their parents roamed. Some people rode speeder bikes and others swoop boards. The park was a little hive of activity.<p>

"This is nice. Is it just residents of New District who come here?" Padmé asked.

Elina nodded. "And their visitors. I mean you could come in for the day. But a lot of people get turned away at the gate. You usually have to have a resident notify the authority that you'll be visiting so that when you show up at the gate your name appears on an approved list."

Padmé's eyebrows rose. "So you and Owen were expecting us?"

Elina nodded. "Yes. This is a very exclusive place. It's expensive but the extra security is nice, even the imperial army doesn't have as much leeway here as they do outside. I guess the old Emperor figures if you are in here you are not a problem."

Padmé nodded. "So do any high profile imperialists live here?"

"You betcha. See those two skyscraper buildings? Imperial Complex I & II. Both are filled with army personnel and other cronies of the Emperor. Moff Tarkin lives there" she said pointing with a pulled face. "There is a rumor that Darth Vader owns an apartment in Imperial I. But I doubt if he is ever home. He is always on that ship of his."

Padmé felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of Vader. She tried not to think of him as Anakin. Obi-Wan insisted Anakin Skywalker was dead but she wasn't so sure. A small part of her hoped there was still good in Vader. There had to be. Perhaps Anakin wasn't all gone and fought the dark side daily.

The sound of happy laughter cut through her thoughts and brought her back to the present. She shook herself and looked around due to the sudden noise. She spotted an ice skating rink nearby.

"That looks like fun" she said.

Elina smiled. "Do you skate?"

Padmé nodded. "I used to go skating with my sister in Naboo during the winters" she said. "It was so much fun"

"Well we can go rent the blades to attach to our boots. That's what most people do"

"Would you mind? I haven't done it in a while"

"Of course not" Elina said and they made their way over to the rink. The woman at the counter took their shoe sizes and returned with packaged blades. "Have fun" she said with a cheerful grin.

Padmé returned the smile and sat by the gates to the rink and slipped the blades over her boots. Elina helped her tighten the screws on the blades. Padmé walked awkwardly as she headed towards the ice. Padmé stepped on the ice and smiled as she began to glide. She was pleased to discover she still retained her balance and skill. She felt so free as she glided upon the ice and so she decided to do a twirl and a jump.

Elina laughed as she watched her. "You're good. I am content with just being able to balance and skate around." she said in admiration.

Padmé smiled in response and began to circle the rink, zipping between people. Padmé skated for several minutes. Spinning by herself and pondering if she was too old for the tricks she kept doing. _Well you are only as old as you feel_, she reasoned. After a while Elina came up to her panting.

"Do you feel like a break? I was going to get us some hot chocolate and a doughnut"

Padmé slowed down and nodded. "That's sounds good" she said skating slowly to the edge of the rink.

Once there, she slipped through the door behind Elina and removed her blades. She sat waiting by the rink while Elina hurried into the crowds toward the little portable doughnut shop. Padmé sighed and breathed out staring at her warm breathe meeting the cool air. She looked up to see if she could spot Elina and instead caught sight of the dark skinned nanny from the day before. She was wrapped up in a coat and had her nose buried in her scarf. She carried a drink tray with steamy cups of hot chocolate and a baggie that Padmé assumed carried donuts. She placed them on a table not far from Padmé and walked to the edge of the rink. She gave a sharp whistle and then called out something, but Padmé couldn't hear her above the din.

Padmé sat up trying to see if she could spot the two children from the therapists office. They soon appeared laughing as they removed their skates and stomped their feet. Their faces were flushed pink and they glowed like healthy children should. Their eyes sparkled as they caught sight of the food.

"Thank goodness! I am starving!" the girl said.

The boy looked at his sister and rubbed his hands together before blowing into them. "You're starving? Miracles do happen!"

"Shut up!" she retorted.

"Hey, no fighting!" The nanny said as she guided them to the table. They sat down and the boy dove for the bag. His sister shook her head at him and checked the cups till she found the one she wanted and took it.

The boy pulled out a huge doughnut covered in chocolate and a huge grin split his face. "Hmmm, chocolate!"

He closed his eyes and pretended to rub his nose in it. As his eyes opened he spotted Padmé watching him in amusement and dropped the doughnut.

"Angel!" he yelled as he got up and ran over to her so fast Padmé barely processed what had just happened.

"I knew we would run into you here! It's like Leia says. It is fate" he said with a grin. His sister had seen Padmé too and made her way over to them in a more dignified run.

"Hi! Now you can finish the story!" The girl said as she came up to them.

Padmé laughed and paused when a thought struck her. "You're Leia right?"

The girl nodded. "And this is Luke. He is my younger brother"

"I am not! I am the oldest" Luke protested. Leia stuck her tongue out at her brother who shook his head. "She is always trying to usurp me" he said.

Padmé froze as a thought struck her. _Luke and Leia_. Was it possible? Were these her lost children? She stopped herself. _Padmé, don't run away with yourself. It's just a coincidence_. She smiled at the children.

"Well it's nice to meet you Luke and Leia. I'm Pa...ahem...Rose" she said.

"Rose? I never thought of you as a Rose" Luke cocked his little head to one side as he studied her "I guess it suits you"

Leia nudged him with frown. "Well maybe she didn't think of you as a Luke. But I guess it suits you!"

"Dollface!"

"Nerfherder!"

Padmé laughed at the two's bickering. "Really its okay. I am happy with my name. So tell me what's your nanny's name?" she indicated with her thumb to where Atina watched them with a small smile.

Leia looked to Atina and waved her over."Atina? She's Atina. Daddy hired her because he likes drill sergeants." Leia said.

"Our dad's in the Imperial army!" Luke said proudly. His smile dropped when he said this. "He was supposed to be here today, we were going to work on my StarX3 droid but...something came up" he looked down at his wet tipped boots.

Leia sighed and shrugged. "I bet its the stupid rebels again. They are always ruining our fun. Daddy had leave at short notice again"

"Your dad must be a high ranking officer" Padmé said suddenly feeling uncomfortable with all the talk of rebels and imperials. Did the twins realize that a rebel leader was right in front of them?. "Does he tell you about his work?"

"He is, but he never tells us about his work. We just know. But let's not talk about that. We're still mad at him. So finish the story" Luke said in a demanding tone.

Elina appeared carrying Padmé and her's drinks and a paper-bag. She smiled when she recognized Luke and Leia. "Hello you two. Are you troubling Rose?" she asked.

The twins vehemently shook their heads as Atina carried the twins food over to where Padmé sat and snorted. "Not her. They are troubling me. I swear these two tune me out. I've told them not run off like that" she said handing Leia her cup of chocolate.

Luke smiled at his nanny and grabbed his food. After everyone had sat down at the table and settled with their snack, the twins turned to Padmé expectantly. Padmé laughed at their inquiring eyes and put down her cup.

"Where was I?" she asked.

"The pilot fell in love" Luke said chewing on his doughnut. "Eww" he added.

His sister shot him a glare."Shut up! And stop talking with food in your mouth!"

"Make me!" Luke shot back.

"Oh I will, you..." Leia paused unsure on whether to say what she wanted to or not.

"What? Say it!" Luke taunted his sister. Leia rolled her eyes at him and looked away. "See you're too scared to say it!" he said looking triumphant.

"That's enough you two! I'll be calling in the sibling police in a minute" Atina said pretending to retrieve her comlink from her pockets.

Luke and Leia looked alarmed. "No!" The twins chorused.

"We won't fight!" Leia said and Luke nodded in fearful agreement.

Padmé and Elina exchanged amused looks and laughed. Atina smirked and removed her hand from her pocket. The twins turned back to Padmé expectantly. She smiled and continued. "Well the pilot fell in love with the senator..."

"Did she love him back?" Leia asked with a dreamy smile on her face.

"She wasn't sure, but she learned to love him eventually" she continued. "They met years later and fell in love and they married secretly."

Luke gave a snort and rolled his eyes."I suppose they lived happily ever after?" he said.

Padmé was about to lie and say yes when she stopped. "No. They didn't. They married and were happy for a while...but life changed and things happened that caused the pilot to become an evil man and the senator...well the senator died from a broken heart because she couldn't save him from himself"

Her audience was silent with shock. Padmé looked down as she felt Elina's sharp eyes on her. The twins stared at Padmé in horrified silence. Padmé felt bad for telling the truth of her story.

She smiled sadly. "You see, its really not a very nice story" she said quietly. Padmé didn't realize her eyes were filled with tears.

Leia stared at her perceptively. "It's a true story isn't it?" she asked.

Padmé blinked the tears away and nodded. "I'm afraid so. Fairy-tales don't happen in real life" she said bleakly.

The twins were quiet for a moment when Luke looked up and smiled. "That's not true. Sometimes fairy-tales do happen. Leia and I know about that, right Leia?"

His sister nodded. "We do" she said.

Padmé smiled. "I am glad for you. What was your fairy-tale?"

"Well you know the story of the orphaned little boy?" Leia asked. Padmé nodded. "Well that was..."

Atina's comlink beeped and she smiled apologetically. "That's my boss, I have to take this" she said. "Yes Milord?" she said standing up and walking a distance from them. The twins watched her leave intently as she spoke in a low voice.

"Atina, how are the twins?" The man sounded panicked. "Are they in your sight?"

Atina frowned and shook her head in amusement as she spoke. "Milord, they are perfectly fine."

"Where are you? Are you at home? Are they safe?"

Atina rolled her eyes and glanced toward the twins. "No we are in the park, at the skating rink" She said patiently. "The twins needed some cheering up. You know how much they love skating"

Vader was quiet. He had introduced the twins to ice skating when he first adopted them. He often took them himself but he hadn't had the time to do so lately. "Are you alone?"

"Now Lord Vader, there are thousands of people in this park"

Vader breathed deeply as though to calm himself. "Alright, let me speak to them."

Atina shrugged and made her way over to where everyone was seated and held the comlink out to the twins. "He wants to speak with you"

Luke grabbed the comlink and put it on speaker. "Dad! When are you coming back?" He said.

Leia yanked the comlink from her brother. "Yeah! We miss you already"

A deep laugh startled Padmé and she raised an eyebrow. The voice of the twins' father sounded extremely familiar, too familiar with it's deep tone and stilted accent. "I will be back as soon as possible. I promise. Are you being good for Atina?"

"Yes!" they chorused. "We found our angel in the park Dad!" Luke said excitedly.

"Oh?! Did she finish the story?" The strong voice on the other end sounded amused.

"Yes...It had a sad ending" Leia said sadly.

Padmé squirmed uncomfortably, wondering what the twins father would think of the tragic ending of her story. "The pilot became bad and the senator died from a broken heart"

It was quiet on the other line and Padmé felt her face heat up in horror at the thought of what the twins father must be thinking. "Well...life doesn't always have happy endings, Leia sweetheart. I've told you that before" The twins father said finally in a cynic tone. He cleared his throat. "Are you two alright?" he asked concernedly.

Luke sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Is it nighttime there Dad?" he asked.

"Yes why?"

"Are you having nightmares again?" Leia asked her voice filled with parental concern.

A frustrated sigh sounded on the other end. "No. I don't have nightmares Leia"

"Yes you do. That's why you don't sleep" Leia said wagging her finger at her the comlink.

"I see there is nothing wrong with your tongues. So you are clearly fine. I was just checking on you." the twins father said. "I have to go. Behave!"

"We always do" Luke said.

"Oh I'm sure you do. Bye" The line went silent and Luke handed the comlink back to Atina. The twins sighed suddenly looking sad.

Padmé smiled. "Your father sounds nice" she said trying to to cheer them up.

"He is. We wish he didn't leave as much. But he likes working" Luke said. "He is always busy, even at night"

"Does your mother travel a lot as well?" Padmé asked, curious to find out about the twins family situation.

Atina snorted at this. Leia shook her head "We don't have a mother. Just our dad" she said.

Padmé raised her eyebrow as she stared in interest at the twins. She immediately felt sorry for the children growing up without a mother and couldn't help but wonder if these were her children she lost at birth. "Oh, well at least you have a family" she said thinking of her own miserable existence.

"Do you have a family?" Luke asked.

Padmé thought for a while. "Well, I have my sister and parents. My sister has two daughters."

"But don't you want a family of your own?" Luke pressed. "Children?"

Padmé smiled sadly. "Perhaps. I hope so...someday maybe" she said.

"So you're not married?" Luke could barely contain his excitement. Padmé shook her head in amusement at him.

"Well maybe if you met our Dad...OW!" Luke glared at his sister. "What was that for?"

Leia shook her head in disbelief. "Pay him no mind Miss Rose." she said sagely. "Luke tends to speak before his brain works" she said. "He's such a nerfherder"

Luke looked offended. "Hey! I was just saying..." he began to defend himself.

"Luke, your sister is right. Don't suggest such things" Atina said making a face. She was sure the young woman would be horrified if she knew who Luke was attempting to set her up with. She would probably faint too.

Padmé laughed. "It's okay Luke. I am not looking for a relationship right now" she said. "I am just happy being with me"

"So is Daddy. He says his life is complete with just Luke and I. I asked him once" Leia said. "A mother would be nice though" she said longingly. "I am surrounded by men and Atina is well, she is nice but it's not the same"

"Well I am glad you love me so much" Atina teased.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

Atina laughed. "Come on squirts. We better head back home now, it's getting mighty cold for children to be outside"

The twins groaned in dismay and began to protest when Atina gave them a warning look. Instead they turned to Padmé and smiled. "Bye Miss Rose. Will we see you here again?"

"Perhaps." Padmé dodged their question. She wasn't sure she wanted to see them again. Being with them stirred up too many unwanted feelings and emotions within her.

Padmé felt miserable watching the twins leave and quickly smiled brightly as the kids waved and hurried after Atina. Padmé smile turned sad as she recalled Leia's words of how a mother would be nice. It would be nice to have children as she often found herself surrounded by grown cynical adults. She had Ryoo and Pooja who were nice, but it wasn't the same. She would love to be someone's mother, but apparently that wasn't yet meant to be. She sighed heavily and pulled her shawl around her tighter. Elina noticed her staring after the twins sadly.

"Ready to go? I hate to say but I am ready for a nice warm room round about now"

Padmé nodded and gave her a grateful look. They removed their skates and returned them to the girl at the counter. Padmé decided then as they walked back to the apartment, that she should put as much distance as possible between her and the two children that made her think of what she was missing out on with her lost children. They didn't belong to her and she might end up stalking them wishing for something that she couldn't have. Yet.


	12. A Spy and a Private Eye

**Author's note: **Hello everyone! Hope you all had a nice week! I certainly did. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! Xoxox

Hugs to Kolodey. (I'm in a good mood :-) )

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><p><em>Aboard the Executor, Vader's flagship<em>

Vader knelt down on the floor as he gave a full report of the Adarlon mission to his master. Sidious was pleased with his apprentice's work.

"Very good Lord Vader. You grow stronger in the dark side every day and soon we will control every part of this galaxy" He said.

Vader frowned at his master's words. He was pretty sure there was no "we" in his own plans except in reference to his children. Sidious unaware of his apprentice's thoughts and continued. "However, I need you back in the capital. My sources tell me something is underfoot with the rebels. Something about the mysterious Black Rose being in Imperial Center."

Vader raised an eyebrow, if Sidious' sources were right then Black Rose was certainly bold. "We are already en route, my master"

"Good" Sidious said.

Vader waited for his master to end the connection before he stood and stretched. His week was getting more and more interesting. He had always been curious about the mythical Black Rose and her bold escapades. Perhaps he would finally get a chance to see who this stubborn rebel was. Besides, the twins would be happy to see him again so soon.

* * *

><p>Padmé stepped into the small dark office and looked around doubtfully. Thilian, the young rebel leader at the Imperial Center had recommended a private investigator when she had vaguely mentioned looking for one. Thilian had assured her this private investigator was trustworthy. The office was located in a small building in a seedy part of the city, and Padmé was relieved Thilian had escorted her to the office.<p>

Padmé glanced around her and rang the small buzzer quickly. A scream sounded nearby and she wished she hadn't asked Thilian to wait outside for her. But she needed her privacy for this. She had ditched Obi-Wan, not wanting to worry the Jedi Master. It hadn't been easy, but with Elina's help she had managed to pull it off.

The door opened and a young man peeped out. "Rose Black?" he asked with a Coruscanti accent.

Padmé nodded while eyeing him carefully. He stepped into the room and held his hand out. "I am Linux" He said smiling with very white teeth, "Thilian told me about you, please come in"

Padmé entered the even darker inner room and frowned when Linux shut the door behind them. Her hand went instinctively to the blaster at her hip and she sat down cautiously. Inside the room was much neater and filled with all sorts of technology including a small hologram projector.

"So what can I do for you?" Linux asked as he sat down.

Padmé stared at the man suddenly doubtful about her decision. He smiled brightly during her appraisal and Padmé frowned. She wasn't sure why, but his smile made her nervous. But Thilian said he could be trusted, therefore Padme tried to relax a little.

A long stretch of silence ensued while Padmé eyed Linux critically. "I want you…I need you to find two children for me" She said finally.

Linux raised an eyebrow. "Who are they?"

"First of all, can you do it?" she asked skeptically.

"Ma'am, did Thilian not tell you about my work for the alliance?" Linux asked.

Padmé shook her head.

"Well" Linux said "do you remember the holocrons of the Imperial prison holding the rebels? Me and my team are the ones who procured them. If your children are in the galaxy, I will find them"

Padmé tensed "Who said they were mine?" she asked defensively.

"I am sorry I just assumed…."

"You assumed wrong" Padmé said shortly not wanting him to know how precious this was to her. "Their names are Luke and Leia Naberrie" she said placing a data chip on the table.

Linux took the chip and placed it in his projector. "Those are their birth certificates and public records. Everything I have on them" she said.

"Are they in the system?" Linux asked noting the Imperial insignia on one of the records.

"Not anymore, they were adopted in Alderaan about two years ago. They now live here in the Imperial Capital with their adoptive father." she paused and took a deep breath. "I've tried to find them, but I am afraid Imperial City is just too vast for me to look through without being located here by the Imperials"

Linux nodded in understanding. "Well, this seems like challenging case, but I am certain we will be able to find some information on them." He paused. "However, have you thought about what you are going to do when you find them? I am sure if they are in a good home they won't want to be ripped away by some crusading stranger" he said.

"As far as I am concerned, what I do with the information you provide is none of your business" Padmé said coldly.

Linux raised his hands quickly. "Of course, and I apologize Milady"

Padmé eyed him for a moment and nodded slowly. "Good, now let's discuss payment"

Padmé left the building a few minutes later. She had paid in cash not wanting anything to be traced back to her. She sighed. She hoped Linux could live up to his promises. Because if he found her children, there would be nothing that would stop her from claiming them.

* * *

><p>Vader flew his speeder madly through the skies of Imperial Center. The Executor had just arrived from Adarlon minutes ago and instead of going straight to Sidious' palace,Vader chose to see his children before they left for school. He entered New District and cut in front of several speeders in an effort to catch his children before they left. He ignored the annoyed yells and honks of the speeders and flew to Imperial Complex I. After parking his speeder on his private landing bay, Vader entered his house and used to the force to seek out the twins.<p>

"Leia! Stop hogging the viewscreen!" Luke's annoyed voice could be heard saying upstairs.

Vader smiled thinly and hurried to the upstairs living room. He found Luke stood facing his sister with an adorable scowl on his face. Leia sat by watching a children's news channel.

"Luke, stop bugging me" Leia said without turning her head from the screen "I didn't say anything last night when you were yelling at your stupid podrace"

"It's not stupid, its….Dad!" Luke caught sight of his father at that moment and ran to him, the viewscreen forgotten.

Vader laughed and picked his son up. Luke gave a yell when his father turned him upside down and attempted to tickle him. Vader placed him down as Leia approached him.

"Daddy, you're back so soon. We thought you were gonna be gone for weeks like last time" she said as Vader knelt to receive her hug.

"I know, but I'll be here for a while" Vader said, knowing even if Black Rose wasn't on Imperial Center his master would want to him to scour the planet thoroughly. Sidious was famous for his exaggerated paranoia.

"Now we can work on the StarX3 droid!" Luke yelled in excitement. "Since you were gonna let us stay up and eat ice cream, can we skip school instead?"

Vader smiled at him and shook his head. "Very clever Luke, but no. I have work to do and school cannot be missed" He said standing up. "I just came to see you two before you had to leave" He glanced at his chrono, "Speaking of which, you better get going"

The twins protested but picked their backpacks and left the room after extracting promises from their father. Vader followed them out and headed to his speeder. He flew through Imperial City to the Emperor's palace and landed. He then made his way to the small conference room where the Army leaders would be gathered.

Vader entered the palace conference room and stopped short. A murderous look began to spread across his face. Seated at the head of the conference room briefing the Imperial Army chiefs was Prince Xizor. In Vader's chair. He looked up as Vader entered the room.

"Lord Vader, so nice of you to _finally_ join us." He said in a mocking tone.

"What are you doing here Xizor?" Vader asked in irritation.

"The Emperor asked me to brief the chiefs, I believe I will be briefing you as well"

Vader bristled and stalked to the front of the room. "Very well, you can do that from your own seat." he said stiffly. "Move"

"I find this seat quite comfortable thank you Lord Vader." The green lizard man replied.

It took all of Vader's self-control not to whip out his light saber and kill the man right there and then. He knew the Emperor would not approve of that, therefore he had to use restraint. Instead he used the force to tilt the chair forwards and smirked as it deposited the prince face down on the floor. Vader walked over and assumed his seat without a word. He watched as the enraged Xizor picked himself up and took another available seat.

The Army officers in the room remained in shocked silence. Finally one cleared his throat. "You were saying your highness?"

Xizor leaned forward and resumed speaking. "At this point, it is assumed that Black Rose is still in Imperial Capital. She is definitely here with her usual companion Ben. She has been described as short, dark haired, beautiful and soft spoken." He said emphasizing the word 'beautiful'.

Vader rolled his eyes beneath his hood. "Up to now Black Rose has been a myth, what makes you certain she exists Prince Xizor?"

"We have an actual witness who has seen her" the Prince replied indignantly at Vader's patronizing tone.

Vader remained unimpressed. "Let me guess, your witness cannot compromise his cover and therefore chose not to be here?" Vader said.

Xizor shot Vader a smirk "He is right here. Zed? Have you not personally dealt with Black Rose?" Prince Xizor spoke to man who stood in the shadows.

The man stepped forward and Vader's sharp eyes studied him. He was at best plain in appearance, Vader thought. The Dark Lord noted there was nothing significant about his features. He had the kind of face one saw everywhere but seldom recalled.

When Zed spoke, Vader took an immediate disliking to the man. "Yes, I have personally seen Black Rose, she is very much real Milord" he said to Vader.

"Since you've seen her face would you be able to identify her?" Vader asked not inclined to trust the man.

"Not her whole face per say, she lives and breathes her cloak." Vader snorted and Zed hurried to say, "But I do have a hologram if you want more proof?"

Vader shrugged and indicated to the droid on hand to work the holo-projector. The man handed a small chip to the droid. The holo-image that appeared on the screen was grainy and of poor quality. It had been taken while its subject was unaware and only showed a side profile of Black Rose.

Vader noted her small stature and how the cloak was chosen carefully. Black Rose was knowledgeable, she hadn't chosen a loud cloak but opted for a dark brown one. However, the cloak was so well fitted that it had to have been custom made. Vader turned to study the small sliver of her face that showed. Bad lighting had ruined what would have been a revealing image. All the image revealed was the lower half of her face while the top of her face was shrouded in shadows.

The svelte figure in the image seemed very familiar and Vader couldn't put his finger on why. He found himself feeling uncomfortable staring at the image that and looked away. "Very well, you have proved your claim. Now, where is she?" He said.

"I am not completely aware of her location. You see I have limited dealings with the rebels." Zed said.

Vader snorted. "Of course you do, because you're such an upstanding citizen of the Empire"

A flash annoyance flickered in Zed's eyes. "I was commissioned by the Emperor and Prince Xizor to discover information on the Rebels" He said proudly. Vader's silence conveyed his unimpressed air.

Zed felt uncomfortable and hurried to continue. "But the rebels aren't fools, they are very careful with who they allow near them. I have only recently gained their trust and they are going to reveal the base to me soon. My induction into the fold you might say" He said rather smugly.

Vader sighed. "Then we are at a standstill until you can be more helpful than this. I will command my men to outfit you with gear, a tracker device, a proper holo-cam, and some sort of recorder. I want to able to identify these rebels by their pictures."

"Wouldn't the Emperor prefer if we stormed the base immediately upon its discovery?" Prince Xizor asked not about to let Vader belittle his part in this.

"I think that's a good idea, wipe them out before they see it coming" an official agreed.

"You're fools" Vader said not entirely surprised at their stupidity. "Do you think that they only have one base on Imperial center? If its anything my dealings with these scum has taught me is they are very clever. When a large base is present it means that there are several smaller bases located throughout the city that all link to the main base. Destroying it would only set the members on alert and they would simply rebuild."

"Lord Vader is right" Zed said quick align himself with the Dark Lord who was clearly the leader in the room. "This is just a point of gathering. It's used on rare occasions. Most of the members move constantly to avoid having permanent dwelling places. It would be better to wait till they gather for some occasion."

The men in room took in the information silently. Vader stood quite done with this meeting. "Then we are finished here. Ozzel, insure the man is given the necessary equipment before he leaves"

"Sorry Milord. But I work alone" Zed said.

Vader wished he could kill the insolent man. "Well now you don't. Defy me and you will face the consequences" the Dark Lord said before swishing out of the conference room.

* * *

><p>Padmé packed her small suitcase to the brim. She hadn't come with much but she had done a lot of shopping during her time on Imperial capital. While part of her was relieved that the trip had gone without a hitch and they would be leaving later that day, a small part of her was sad. Padmé couldn't pin down the reason as to why. But she knew it probably had to do with fact that her children were somewhere in Imperial Center and she didn't know where to find them.<p>

With a sigh she shut the suitcase and after making sure she hadn't left anything, she dragged it out to the kitchen. Obi-Wan sat listening as Owen and Elina bantered about something. A small smile of amusement adorned his face. He looked up as Padmé entered.

"Are you all packed?" he asked.

Padmé nodded. "I am"

"Well, then we better head out to base, so you can say your goodbyes" Obi-Wan said.

Owen looked away from his argument. "You're leaving?"

Obi-Wan stood up. "Yes. Unless you want to come with us?"

Owen shook his head. "Thanks, but I can't. I have to keep up appearances. But greet everyone for me" he said.

Elina hugged Padmé and Obi-Wan. "Its been lovely having you here. Take care of yourselves" she said.

Padmé felt a little teary eyed at her words and returned her hug. "You were a wonderful hostess" she said. Obi-Wan then picked up her suitcase and Padme followed him out the door.

After briefly addressing the base members, Padmé stood talking with Obi-Wan and Thilian. "We obviously can't expand too much." Thilian said informing them of future plans for the rebel base.

"You would be surprised how watchful the Empire is in Imperial Center. What other bases can easily get away with would be a blaring red flag here" Thilian said.

"Well, you are doing an excellent job regardless of your situation" Obi-Wan said. "We hope to see you again"

Padmé nodded. "Yes I have a feeling this base is destined for great things"

Thilian beamed at them. A man approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thilian, it's good see you" he said smiling widely.

Padmé froze as she recognized her private investigator Linux. Obi-Wan looked on with an indifferent air. Thilian smiled at his friend. "Hello Linux, nice to see you here." He turned to Obi-Wan. "This guy is a miracle worker. He is one of the most hardworking members we have. He wasn't here earlier when you arrived, i'm glad you get to meet him" he said.

"It's a pleasure, I'm Ben" Obi-Wan said in a friendly tone.

"So I assumed" he said and then turned to Padmé "and this must be the delightful Black Rose" Linux reached for Padmé's hand and kissed it. He winked at her slightly and Padmé hurriedly drew her hand away.

"A pleasure" Padmé said stiffly.

"Indeed Milady, indeed" Linux said with smile.

Thilian resumed his conversation and shortly took Obi-Wan to the side to show him a new piece of machinery. Linux took the occasion to step forward and talk to Padmé privately.

"I have something" He whispered.

Padmé looked around to make sure no one was nearby. "Well?" she asked.

"I was able to get in contact with a friend who works in the childcare system. He said he will be able to pull up the files dealing with the adoption. He will get back to me soon. Once we have the name of the parent who adopted the twins, it will only be a matter of time before we locate them"

Padmé nodded and tried not to get her hopes up. "And how long will this take?" she asked.

Linux shrugged. "I don't know, he said there has been a recent surge in adoptions in the past few years so it might take a while." He noted Padmé's disappointed face and hurried to cheer her up. "But don't lose heart milady. If those children are out there in the galaxy I will find them. I promise" he said gently.

Padmé gave a small appreciative smile. "Thank you" she glanced toward Obi-Wan and found him watching her with a questioning look. Turning to Linux she said. "I have to go, but thank you for your service"

Linux nodded and allowed Padmé to hurry past him. Padmé stopped beside Obi-Wan quiet and braced herself as he turned to ask her. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I was just thanking him for his service in the Alliance" Padmé lied.

Obi-Wan looked at her doubtfully but decided not poke further. Padmé bit her lip. She hated lying to her friend, but she knew he would be furious if he learned what she had done. Padmé knew it was risky to put her children's information out there, but it was a risk she was willing to take to find them. Besides, Linux seemed to know what he was doing.


	13. Mischief aboard the Executor

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! Well I certainly didn't think I'd only update this year! My sincere apologies. However, welcome to 2015! Hope everyone had a nice New Year. Here's the next installment for y'all. Enjoy and let me know what you're thinking. I love hearing from you guys.

***Update:** As Ymere accurately pointed out, in this story the battle of Yavin hasn't happened. So I changed date of the volcano explosion: 200,000 BBY to 199,965 BsR referencing the Great ReSynchronization. (in case you are as confused as I am, lol). I checked to make sure this was right...still not sure if it is. Oh well enjoy :-).*****

Thanks to my beta reader, I know, I am demanding.

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><p>Vader's Penthouse, Imperial Complex I<p>

_"Luke! Leia!"_

_The voice that called out the twin's names was so filled with pain. _Vader shuddered in his sleep. _The cry repeated and he tried to look for the speaker. He could hear the owner of the voice sobbing. The sobs were heartbreaking. The voice sounded female… and so familiar. _

_"Luke! Leia!" _

The twins! It sounded like they were in danger. He could feel their fear and pain. Such intense pain.

Vader eyes snapped open and he jumped up from his chair. He crashed through the house to the twins bedroom. The twins were sound asleep and breathing easily. He brushed their minds with the force and felt their childish innocence.

How? He could still sense their pain...he could still feel it. It was overwhelming. Vader noted the voice was still inside his head. The Dark Lord clutched at the sides of his head as he willed the voice to go away. He sunk down between the twins beds and shivered as wave after wave of the intense emotions washed over him.

_What was this?_ He wondered weakly.

This was the second time this was happening. The last time had been while he was aboard the Executor weeks ago. The only other time he had felt such an intense connection with someone else's pain was when Padmé had died. Vader's bowed his head while his arms hung limply off his knees. He sat in that position for hours. His head snapped up when Atina entered the room. She looked startled to see him and shook her head at him in mild disapproval.

Vader ignored her and scrambled up. The intense feeling was gone. In fact there was no evidence of the force connection. It was like a bad nightmare, a faint memory with the morning's light. The dark lord scowled gruffly as he swept past her.

Atina took a deep breath and shrugged. "Some people" she muttered as she began to lay out the twins uniforms and underwear for school.

Vader pondered the odd feeling throughout the day. He was unaware what or who was the cause of the feelings and it bothered him. He hoped the feeling didn't revisit him again. It was unnerving.

* * *

><p><em>Weeks later, Aboard the Executor, Vader's flagship<em>

Luke poured in the clear liquid into the round earthen hole of the volcano. A sizzling sound ensued and cold smoke rose out of the mouth of the volcano. The two were working an a school project aboard the Executor and had converted the conference room into their volcano construction room.

The table was covered with bags of unused clay, one corner was covered in mud and lumps of clay sat rolled up. Boxes of nitrate powders and a chemistry set took up the other half. In the center of the table stood the masterpiece itself, a 3 ft tall volcano. Luke stood on a step stool placed on the table to reach the inside. Leia who stood next to her brother adjusted her goggles and consulted her datapad and peered at the white mist.

"That looks good." She said. "So the dry ice should freeze the insides and then in a few minutes we can pour in the lava."

Luke jumped off the stool and onto a chair which spun around at his sudden weight. He yowled and bashed into a spare glass vial sending it clattering to the ground. Leia ducked instinctively and winced as the bottle clanked on the ground. She watched in relief as it spun in circles before stopping unbroken.

She turned to glare at her brother. "Butterfingers." she said.

Luke smiled apologetically and stood up slowly. He wore a white coat over his regular clothes and grabbed his goggles off the side of volcano. He slipped them on. "Let's get 'to mixing that lava' as Atina would say"

Atina was on her annual week long vacation. This left the twins following their father and their favorite minder aboard the Executor, Commander Veers, during the holiday. Veers had left the twins to their work while he had gone to attend mandatory meetings on the floor below the conference room. The twins had been left to their own discretion and proceeded to work undisturbed on their explosive project .

"Well, it says here to mix two parts of the foam, one spoon of the explosive powder, three parts clay and water" Leia said.

Luke nodded and proceed to put three parts foam, one part explosive powder and the required clay mix. Leia observed the mixture dubiously. "That looks like a lot"

"It's what you said to mix!" Luke said defensively.

Leia studied it for a while and shrugged. "Okay, well pour it in and put the plastic wrap on top to keep it moist. Now all we have to do is the first layer of firecrackers and soot to make the black smoke of the initial eruption in 199,965 BsR"

Luke blew his bangs out of his face and sighed. "Well I don't see why we had to make an exact replica" he complained. "We could have just done a paper mache version and spilled condiments on the inside"

His sister gave him a freezing glare. "We did it this way so we can get a better grade for it, and it has to erupt perfectly at school. So don't screw it up!"

"I am not going to screw it up! You are doing the hard part, now you get on the stool" Luke picked up his datapad and read the instructions for the top layer of the volcano.

Leia rolled her eyes and climbed on the table. "Okay first step, put the crushed eggshell pieces. Then add the ashes. A big layer of ashes!" Luke called from his datapad.

Leia scooped in several shovels of gray ash. "What next?"

"Well add some soot, then more ash and the first firecrackers. then put the two bad eggs and plastic wrap. Then the last layer of soot and ash, then firecrackers, now add the stones and then the clay and dirt to seal it."

Leia patted the soil down and placed the rolled pliable clay cover on the top and pressed it down. She stepped off and let a sigh of relief. "Phew! That's done now what?"

Luke looked up with a grin. "Now the fun part. Connecting up the wires for the two detonators." He showed his sister a panel that held a couple of switches. "The first one will set off the dry smoke layer and the second will detonate and kaboom! the lava will flow."

He placed the switch on the table and he and Leia began unrolling the two different cables they would need. Luke placed the huge rolls by the door and they snipped off the length they wanted and inserted it in the holes set in the back of the volcano. After Luke ran a diagnostics report to ensure everything was working, Luke and Leia set to work decorating the their volcano.

* * *

><p>Veers rushed through the halls of the Executor. He burst through the door to the higher ranking officials break room. Piett sat with Brenn Tantor talking calmly while having a cup of coffee. Veers flew in and grabbed Piett's chair with a wild harrowed look on his face. Firmus looked up at him in puzzlement.<p>

"You have to help me Piett! I've done it this time! Those devil children have gotten me. You know they've had it out for me since the very first day we met!" He said wildly.

Piett gazed at him in shock. "Why? What is it this time Veers?"

Veers gave a frustrated squeak and began pacing madly. "I told them to stay put. Just for fifteen minutes...but would they listen?! NO!"

"Veers?"

"Insolent little rats! Ungrateful twits! I am not a babysitter. This isn't my job! I don't specialize in tracking kids..."

"Veers?"

"...Always knew those kids would be the death of me. This is the end for sure! there is no hope for me. Save yourselves!"

"Veers, snap out of it! For Pete's sake!" Piett yelled at his colleague. "What have you done? Or rather from what it sounds like, not done?"

"I had a mandatory meeting...Certification nonsense. You know how anal-retentive Hyiak can be about us missing trainings! Anyways, this has been scheduled for months and boom Vader shows up today with those two! As you know he was all 'Look after them Veers!' I tried to explain that I couldn't and I had a training and he actually lowered his cloak to give me the evilest look!"

Veers stopped and proceeded to imitate Vader glaring at him.

Piett and Tantor tried hard not burst into laughter. Veers continued unaware of their restrained mirth. "So he said that wasn't his problem and I better find some way to attend the training and look after their highnesses. Hyiak said he wouldn't have 'Vader's mutts' disrupting his class. Yes he said that. Remind me to report him for calling those little angels mutts!"

Piett broke down at this point but kept his laughter to himself.

"So I went to the training and on the way told CT-7567 to watch them. You know Vader is very fond of him? Yeah. So I had told the brats to stay put in the mess hall and they had huge duffel bags with them. I thought they couldn't move. But wasn't I wrong! When CT-7567 went they had vanished! Poof! Gone! Disappeared into thin air. CT-7567 didn't think to tell me until fifteen minutes ago!"

"Your training ended fifteen minutes ago?" Tantor asked.

"NO! It ended two hours ago! I was lounging around thinking CT-7567 was taking care of them and he thought I was looking after them! Now we've both been looking for them and Vader is coming back with the delegates anytime now! I am done, he will not only choke me, he will personally behead me!"

Veers sat down and placed his head in his hands which trembled slightly. He jiggled his leg violently. "I can't see a way for this to go unpunished. I am dead for sure. They could be anywhere in the galaxy, aboard a vessel. You know how good Luke is at piloting..." He trailed off helplessly.

At this point Piett and Tantor released their laughter and deep laughs filled the entire room. Veers looked up at them aghast and offended. "What is so funny?"

Piett wiped a tear from his eye. "This is your own foolish fault. Buck up Veers. They are probably on board somewhere..." Piett grinned evilly. "Have you checked the garbage disposer?"

Veers glared at him and threw a nearby holochip at him. "No!" he paused. "Could they...?" he said as horrific images of the twins being squashed flashing in his mind.

"No, don't be ridiculous! Luke and Leia are very smart children. Come on. I'll help you look for them" Piett said standing up.

Tantor stood up too and checked his beeping chrono. "I'd help you two but I have to go welcome the delegates. Good luck though. Vader's ETA is ten minutes"

Veers gave a strangled cry and darted out of the room much to Piett and Tantor's increasing amusement. Piett followed his friend out and they began a hurried systematic search of the ship Finally, they decided to try the conference room and and opened the door. A loud gasp escaped Piett as he took in the room.

Luke and Leia looked up in shock. "Piett! What are you doing here?"

"What have you two done?!" Veers squawked, from behind Piett.

Leia explained proudly "We had a school history project. We decided to do it on the Volcanic Eruption on Imperial Capital in 199,965 BsR..."

"I don't care about that! Your father is bringing delegates in this room! In less than six minutes!" Veers yelled. He was surprised he could actually yell at the twins. Luke and Leia stared at him in shock, no one ever yelled at them. "Don't just stand there! START CLEANING UP OR I AM DEAD!"

The twins blinked in shock and hurried to work. Piett and Veers joined them. Veers scrambled on the floor picking up the loose package ends and cabling casing. Luke began to pack the unused clay dust into the bag and Leia and Piett worked on re-rolling the cable rolls. Next, Luke grabbed at the slimy clay rolls and he slipped on the muddy floor.

"Oops!" he said as the rolls flew out of his hand.

One narrowly missed Veers' head as he looked up. It landed with a splat on the wall. Veers glared at Luke but didn't have time to scold him as the other clay rolls met their targets. One landed smack in Leia's shocked face and the other hit Piett in the stomach. Luke winced and gave a half grimace and a apologetic smile. "Sorry?"

Leia gave a growl and dropped what she was holding. She bent down and picked up a clod of clay from the ground and threw it at her brother. Luke's ear smarted as the clod hit him.

"Ow!" He said rubbing his ear. "Okay this is war!" He declared as he bent down and picked a muddy ball up. Veers watched in horror as the two began to hurl clay balls at each other.

"No! No fighting! Stop that this instance!" Piett called out in horror.

Luke and Leia paid him no mind and continued hurling clay around laughing happily. Luke made a huge clay ball and prepared to hurl it directly at his laughing sister. Leia did the same and both hurled their huge clay balls at each other at the same time.

The door behind Leia opened and she ducked. Leia's clay ball slammed into the wall behind Luke before sliding down slowly. The huge ball Luke hurtled moved in slow motion toward Vader who led the front of the pack into the room. Vader's eyes widened and he dodged it expertly his cloak hood falling off in the process. Behind him,Wilhuff Tarkin's smug face changed to one of complete shock as the huge mud ball collided with his face. The room was plunged in silence as the delegates stared on in horror.

Vader failed to hide the small grin that spread across his face. Tarkin stood covered in dark red clay and trembled in rage. Vader however composed himself quickly and pulled up his hood, failing to cover his entire face. He frowned intensely at Luke, Leia, Veers and Piett. However, the latter could tell this was because the sith lord was trying hard to stifle his mirth.

"Lord Vader, what is THIS?" Tarkin squeaked.

"I have no idea Moff Tarkin" the Dark Lord replied. He turned back to the Captain and Commander who stood by guiltily "Captain Piett, Commander Veers? Do you care to explain why my conference room has a life-size volcano in it?" the Dark Lord's voice had an odd quiver to it.

"Nooo...Milord" Veers said. "We were just cleaning it up." He quickly continued to clean and grabbed a bag of dry clay off the table. The bag unfortunately had not been sealed shut and when Veers lifted the wrong side up, the contents spilled to the floor , clouding the air with red dust.

Everyone began to cough and Veers attempted to clear the air only succeeding in shaking more of the dust in the room. Admiral Ozzel who stood with the delegates, gave a growl and pushed aside the angry Tarkin. He darted to the table where he grabbed for what he thought was the air control panel.

Luke watched in horror as the man picked up the Volcano control. "NO! Not that!"

Ozzel yanked both buttons and a loud ominous cracking sound filled the room. The air was soon covered in black ashy soot with firecrackers popping wildly. The volcano came alive and began hurling tiny pebbles around the room. Before everyone could take a breath, deep red goo began to splatter around the room covering everyone with in 20 ft radius in red gooey liquid .

Luke and Leia both cowered with grimaces on their faces as the foul smell of the bad eggs filled the room with more of the highly explosive lava. Finally, the volcano decided it had showed off enough and went dormant.

A silence so thick not even a knife could cut through it filled the room.

Piett and Veers stared at the chaos around them in mortified shock. Soft chuckles broke the silence as one man laughed for a brief moment before all the delegates joined him. Luke and Leia joined in while Veers collapsed on the floor helplessly. He watched everyone laugh while thinking of how Vader would not likely forgive this.

Vader cleared his throat and shot a glare at his children and his two officials. "Care to explain?"

"We were working on our school project. It's on the historical volcano eruption on Imperial Capital" Leia said. She stepped forward and gave her father her sweetest smile. "Don't be mad Daddy, we didn't mean for this to happen"

Vader gritted his teeth as his heart melted. He hated the control the twins had over him. He couldn't explain it, but they reached into parts of his heart that he thought were long gone after Padme had died. The intense anger he felt with everyone else melted away when one of them looked his way.

Vader shook himself and reminded himself that he had delegates who feared him as the most dangerous man in the galaxy watching this. He could not very well mistreat Leia and Luke just to maintain his reputation. The twins would never forgive him nor understand this different side of their father.

He instead turned to Piett and Veers. "I left express instructions that the twins were to be watched! How did this happen?" He said in quiet tone dripping with anger.

Luke hurried forward. "Don't be mad at Veers either. He told us to stay in the mess hall but we didn't listen. We're terribly especially sorry"

Vader sighed. "Well, clearly we can't have our meeting in here. Veers get a cleaning droid to clean this up. We'll have to make do with the mess hall, Piett take everyone there. Luke and Leia go with Piett." He barked. Luke and Leia gave their father offended looks but moved to Captain Piett.

Veers and got up and scuttled out. Vader stopped him and whispered harshly. "A word with you Veers?"

The man's heart stopped and his already weak knees knocked against each other. He gulped and nodded. The dark lord motioned him out and followed behind.

Meanwhile, Luke and Leia walked among the delegates quietly. The delegates were mostly senators and planet officials.

Leia found a dark haired man staring at her intently and smiled slightly. The man smiled back and slowed his pace to match hers. "Hello, I am Bail Organa" he said. "What's your name?"

Leia's smile widened. "Leia. Sorry our volcano ruined your clothes" She pointed to the red splotches on his dark cape.

Bail noticed them and waved them off. "Not a problem. I have to say that was a very impressive volcano. Did you make it by yourself?"

"No. My brother Luke helped. We're twins" She said. "It's for a school project"

A strange look covered the man's face "And Darth Vader is your father?"

Leia looked willfully confused. "Nooo...but my dad was there. He was the one in the cloak who went off with Commander Veers" she said.

Bail decided not to point out that the same man the girl spoke of was Darth Vader. "Does he bring you aboard this ship often?"

Leia shook her head. "Not so much anymore. He used to at the beginning, but not since we got Atina" she said. "Why?" she asked defensively.

Bail raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry I just didn't think this was a place for children. I have a little girl myself, you see. Her name is Winter. She is about your age"

"Hey Leia! Check this guy out! He's got big floppy ears!" Luke called out to his sister in excitement. "Are they real?!"

Leia turned to where her brother was pointing to a tall awkward Gungan in long flowy robes. She sighed. "Luke that's not polite" she said.

"Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude" Luke said.

"Mesa don't mind. Yousa reminds me of a boy. Little Ani hesa name was!" Jar-jar Binks replied.

Luke and Leia exchanged incredulous looks of amusement before they burst into laughter. The twins decided to walk beside Jar-jar and Bail. The twins were amused by Jar-jar's accent and Bail's knack of telling a good story.

* * *

><p>Veers gulped. He could feel Vader right behind him and could almost hear his quiet breathing. He stopped when he came to a private room and stopped outside the door. The door opened without him having to press the button. Veers stepped in nervously and turned around to face Vader.<p>

Vader towered over him and waved his hand. Veers eyes shut and his hands flew to his throat. After a moment he felt nothing and opened his eyes. He found Vader staring at him in puzzlement, his right hand raised. He waved it after giving Veers a scathing look and the door closed.

The momentary relief Veers felt melted away as he realized Vader intended to kill him in complete privacy. Well, he would die a man by not begging for his life. He swallowed and prepared for death. Vader calmly walked forward and folded his arms. Veers jerked with fear at each of Vader's movements. Veers couldn't see the dark lord's face but he was fairly certain he was glaring at him.

"I want an explanation before I deal with you" Vader said.

Veers nodded and swallowed. "I...I had a training to attend and you know...I mean...Hyiak wouldn't let me miss it. He said he would discharge me if I missed this session. I asked if I could take the children...but he said he couldn't have them messing up his training." Veers paused fear catching his throat as he thought of what he had done.

Vader made an impatient sound and Veers continued. "So I hurried to attend it and told the children to wait in the mess hall. I sent clone trooper CT-7567 to look after them. He found them gone and thought I had changed my mind about the training and was with them and I thought he was with them...I apologize Milord, there is no excuse..."

"Veers, you can stop shaking like a leaf. If I was going to kill you I would have done that when I had an audience. I am not happy, but the twins are children. They have to be allowed to have fun. Next time ensure they are under care before leaving. Do not fail me again Veers. Never leave my children to chance again!"

Vader turned and swished out of the room. Veers was too stunned to comprehend that he wasn't dead. He simply remained where he stood staring after Vader in shock.

Vader was less angry than he portrayed. He knew the twins had a knack for disobedience and getting into trouble. Veers was a loyal and trusted man. There was no point in murdering him over something this mild.

Now had the twins had been hurt or injured, the repercussions Veers would've had to face would have been more serious. The Dark Lord made his way to the mess hall where the delegates had been seated in professional manner and cleaned of the red lava goo.

Vader had shed his own messed cloak and ignored the stunned glances of his officials and the delegates. For many, this was the first time they were seeing Vader. Most had never seen the man behind the cloak and were surprised at his youth.

Vader stood solemnly in the corner while Ozzel and Tarkin led the meeting. Luke and Leia scurried to their father's side and he placed a protective hand on each of them's shoulders.

Vader hardly paid attention to the meeting and instead focused on his children. He could tell the scared emotions of the people around them were rubbing off on the force-sensitive twins as they had become excessively clingy and frightened.

Vader frowned. At times like this, he wished they weren't so force sensitive. He tried not to train them too much and instead focused on teaching them meditation and control techniques. He never wanted the twins to feel as though they were abnormal.

He noticed Bail Organa watching him closely. The man couldn't seem to stop staring at Luke and Leia and Vader began to feel his protective instincts flare up. He summoned Piett and quietly ordered him to take the twins out. The twins began to protest being taken from their father and their faces puckered up as tears threatened to spill over.

Vader knelt down and frowned at them. "No!" he said as Leia's tears began to spill out on her cheeks, her brother not far behind. "No crying. Go with Captain Piett" he whispered in a commanding tone that he hoped wasn't too harsh.

"But Daddy!" Leia began to whine loudly.

"Luke, Leia what is this?" Vader said beginning to feel uncomfortable and embarrassed with all the delegates and officials eyes on him.

"We are ss..scared!" Luke whimpered.

Vader took a deep breath and reminded himself that the twins were only seven. He could still feel the stares of the room on him. _Everyone wants to know how I treat my kids_. He thought in annoyance. "There is nothing to be afraid of. Would I send you off with Piett if I didn't trust him?"

"Nooo.." Luke said.

"Would I send you anywhere if I thought you would be in danger?"

"Nooo.." Leia said wiping tears.

"Alright then. Let's stop those tears and be good. You'll be fine and I'll come for you when I am done" he said in a low tone.

The twins nodded and hugged him before they scampered after Piett.

Vader wished they hadn't hugged him in front of all the delegates, it made him appear soft. This wasn't the image he wanted to portray to the delegates, the kind father who cared for his children. He stood up and fixed his face into a fierce scowl hoping to remind everyone who he was. He noticed the female delegates looking at him with softer eyes and inwardly groaned. He would have to kill someone to restore his reputation.


	14. Disquieting possibilities

**Author's note:** Hey everyone! School is beginning soon so I decided I better update before I get too busy. Which I will be, lol. But I will do my best to update without too much time between chapters. I am glad everyone is enjoying this story, your reviews really make my day!

I just wanted to take the time to thank some of you who have reviewed: **ILDV, Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay, AngelDesaray, KiyaJinnSkywalkerKenobi, ambre, Chosen1, sodorland, FireShifter, ShyMaryButterfly, david. davies .5851, Khalthar, angie, PadawanPrincess, ThE 4SsAsSiN 21, imnotraven16, Jedi Jesi Jiin, DVNIKKI, Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416, Sua, Ibskib, aridneia, Shad, ccp, LoveStarGlow, Qatzol, Nowa1, Botoxed Forehead, Ymere, Apprentice01, Panda and Terrible Sadness. **

Thanks so much for your creative, enjoyable, constructive reviews. Y'all are really awesome. Enjoy!

And of course thank you Kolodey.

* * *

><p>Bail Organa walked down the hall leading to his sitting room. He whistled slightly as he did this, glad to finally be home away from the Emperor's spies scrutinizing eyes. He had just returned from what had seemed like endless meetings aboard the Executor. Bail's whistling grew louder as he entered the sunlit room. Cheerful voices greeted him and he almost fell down as Winter ran from her mother's side to hug him. Bail laughed and swung the little girl up.<p>

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Breha stood up and stood beside him. She was dressed rather elaborately in a deep red dress and her hair rolled to the top of her head. "She missed you, Bail" she said watching her daughter burrow into his shoulder with a smile.

Bail kissed his daughter's hair and rubbed his nose in it's floral scent. "How is my little princess?" he asked her.

"I'm fine. Ms Padmé brought me a Nubian robe! It's real pretty with decorations and flowers!" She said.

Bail looked up and spotted Padmé seated watching the scene with a strained smile on her face. Bail smiled at his colleague and good friend. "Padmé! Nice to see you, where have you been hiding yourself these days?"

Padmé gave a soft laugh. "Nowhere in particular, you're just never home when I visit" she said. Her hair was straight and kept from her face by an elaborate floral headdress. It's gold accents matched the gold beading on her beautiful navy blue lace dress.

"Ah! I see, blame it all on me." He teased. He took in Padmé and Breha's dresses. "Am I missing something or did you two just dress up for fun?"

Breha gave him a horrified look. "Bail! Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

Bail looked blissfully confused. "Forgot what?" he asked placing Winter down gently.

"The Alliance banquet? The one to honor of the stellar men and women who have been working so hard this past year?"

Bail froze. "Oh dear" he said. "I had completely forgotten. Well then I suppose I better hurry to get ready" He knelt in front of Winter and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in a bit princess" he said before darting off.

Breha gave frustrated sigh and guided her daughter back to the chairs. "It's always something. He has a magnificent memory, but things like social appearances seem to slip his mind." she said sitting down with a tired air.

Padmé patted her friend's hand. "At least he remembers the important things. I don't care for social functions myself" she admitted. "Some are nice though"

Breha nodded. "They do get tiring after a while." She stopped and smoothed Winter's soft light hair with a smile. "I can't wait for Winter's coming out ball though. I am sure she will be an absolute vision"

"I will!" Winter said as if there was never a doubt. "I can't wait to be sixteen"

Padmé laughed at her confidence. "I'm sure you will be Winter. But try not to grow too fast okay?" Padmé said remembering how quickly she had been forced to grow up.

Winter nodded as Bail entered the room with a smile on his face. He had dressed up and looked resplendent in his robes. "So I am all set" he said with a grin.

Breha looked him over and nodded her approval. "Nice. We should be ready to leave in half an hour."

Bail sat down opposite her and Winter ran to him. He pulled her onto his lap and smiled at his wife and Padmé. "So, what did I miss?"

Padmé arched an eyebrow. "In the Alliance or at home?"

"In the Alliance of course. I am supposed to give a speech at this banquet...I am basically going to wing it"

"Bail!"

"What? It couldn't be helped. The Emperor had us running around the galaxy like crazy banthas for one week. We spent the whole time on the Executor under his right hand stooge's watchful eye."

Padmé looked up. "Vader's ship?" she asked.

Bail regretted his words and nodded. "Yep. The black hooded man himself"

Padmé mentally kicked herself for her reaction. Vader was not Anakin. She shouldn't care what he did or where he was. That life was dead now. "That sounds awful" she said in an unconvincing voice.

Bail shrugged. "Not really, it was actually pretty interesting. We arrived to a volcano explosion" he said with a smile.

Padmé and Breha looked shocked. "Volcano explosion?!" They asked at the same time.

Bail nodded and continued "Then let's see there was the missing aerodrome projector holochip, the flooding freshers and of course the slug salad."

Bail was referring to the various escapades Luke and Leia had gotten into while aboard the Executor. The last being the most recent. The twins had been attempting to raise a colony of slugs for their science project. Unfortunately, the slug shipment came in similar box as the special truffles used in a salad Moff Tarkin had requested for the last luncheon. The children had taken the truffles, left the slugs and headed to their father's living quarters. The chef had then prepared the delicacy and presented it to the delegates and officials.

Bail remembered thinking the truffles looked unreasonably slick and had just taken a mouthful when the door burst open with the twins yelling. "Don't eat those, they are our slugs!"

Tarkin had been furious, Vader who never ate any of the food presented had a smug look as the Moff sputtered livid curses and tried to hurl up the last few forkfuls. The twins were more concerned about their slugs than sickened delegates and had begun to dip their hands in people's salads when their father stopped them and ordered the serving droids to remove the salads. A small smile crossed Bail's face as he remembered the dark lord's struggle to keep a straight face for the rest of the day. Vader had fixed his face into a tight frown, but Bail would notice whenever Tarkin would speak Vader would to chew on the side of his cheek as if in intense thought.

"Slug salad?!" Breha asked in horror. "Is that what the emperor makes you eat?"

Bail released the mirth he had been holding in from the odd trip and laughed heartily. "No of course not..." he trailed off with more laughter. "It was because the...Vader's...Oh dear!" he collapsed in helpless laughter.

Breha and Padmé exchanged worried looks. "Vader made you eat slugs?" Breha asked.

Bail finally composed himself and wiped away tears much to Winter's amusement. "No...I am sorry, but its been a helluva a week. Thank goodness for those little twins!"

Padmé's interest piqued. "Twins?"

Bail nodded. "Yep. Darling little creatures really. Their names were Lu..."

"Luke and Leia?" Padmé interrupted,

Bail nodded. "Yes, yes. Luke and Leia, how did you know? Do you know them?"

Padmé gave little sigh. Did she know them? She been unable to forget the precocious little twin brother and sister. She dreamed of them, saw children who might be them, and heard their voices in her mind.

She didn't want to tell anyone because she was sure everyone would assume it was because of her loss and that she was losing her mind. She had already had one of the base doctors telling her that if she didn't control herself she would cross the line to having a psychological problem. She didn't want to have people looking at her like she was some mental case.

She noticed Breha and Bail watching her keenly and cleared her throat. "I met them...when Obi-Wan and I were in Corus...I mean Imperial Capital"

"Obi-Wan never mentioned that! I would think he would have given the twins are Va..."

Padmé cut him off. "He never met them. I met them at their therapists. They are so adorable and sweet" She said sadly.

"Sounds like you spent a lot of time with them" Bail said quietly.

Padmé looked down at her lap and Bail saw a tear drop into her hands. She clenched her fists tightly and looked up with fake smiling face. "Not really, we had doughnuts and hot chocolate together. They were with their nanny Atina, did you meet her?" she spoke in an indifferent tone.

"No. I think she was on holiday because they were nanny-free and causing a lot of trouble for everyone on board" Bail said with a laugh.

Padmé arched an eyebrow. "So they were aboard the Executor? They mentioned their father being a high-ranking officer."

"Must be pretty high-ranking for Vader to allow it on his ship. I hear he hates children" Breha said.

Bail eyed Padmé's watery eyes and decided not mention that the twins belonged to Vader. He would have a talk with Obi-Wan about it later that evening. One thing that had struck him was the shocking resemblance Luke bore to his father and Leia to...Padmé.

The girl was so much like Padmé, her eyes, her dark hair, the way she flipped it out of her face. Bail wondered, had Vader intentionally adopted his own children? If so Obi-Wan, Bail and Master Yoda had failed in their role to protect the children from their evil father and the Emperor.

* * *

><p>"Gods, I can't take this this any longer!" Vader cursed as Luke ran between his legs, almost causing his tall father to land face down on the floor.<p>

The twins were more rambunctious than usual. After being cooped up on the Executor for a week, they were full of pent up energy and proceeded to race around the house at several miles an hour ever since they had returned home. Vader caught his balance shakily and glared as Luke yelled over his shoulder.

"Sorry Dad!"

Leia crashed through the door chasing after her brother and this time succeeded in downing Vader. "Sorry Daddy!"

Vader drew himself up from the floor and rubbed the little bump forming on his forehead.

"Alright you two. Enough!" He bellowed.

He made his way to the kitchen, where he opened the conservator and removed an ice pack. Luke and Leia peeped in cautiously and winced when they saw the angry red welt on their father's face.

"See what you did?" Vader asked in a quiet seething tone. The twins eyes widened when he spoke. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He was so angry and tense, Vader knew he was seconds from yelling or worse. He had to diffuse the situation. "Go to your room" he ordered quickly.

"But Daddy..." Leia begun.

"Now!" Vader barked and watched as the twins scuttled away. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate. Calm down...calm down...he chanted over and over. Finally the anger melted away, but Vader wondered if it wasn't just the feeling of lightheadedness the ice pack caused. He placed the slightly pulpy ice pack in the sink and headed to the twins room. Luke and Leia sat quietly by the window their favorite toys abandoned.

Luke looked up as his father knelt behind them. "We are awful sorry Dad. We didn't mean to..."

Vader nodded. "I know Luke," he said roughing his son's long hair.

"But you yelled at us" Leia said, turning her large brown tear-filled eyes to him. "You never yell at us..."

Vader's heart melted and he felt a heavy cloud of remorse settle on him. He did try, he tried so hard to never yell at the twins, never hit them. Basically, he tried to never show them the side of him he never wanted them to see. "I know Leia, I am sorry" He held out his arms and both twins gave him a hug. "I shouldn't have yelled"

Luke nodded. "And we should have listened when you told us to stop running in the house"

Vader smiled. "You two rascals are full of energy." He paused. "How about I take you biking?" he asked.

"In the PARK?" Luke yelled in excitement. He had forgotten he was inches away from his father's sharp ears.

Vader winced and rubbed his ear. "Yes Luke, in the park. That is if your speeder bikes are charged"

"They are! We made sure to charge them last time" Leia said.

Vader was surprised Leia was this excited. She normally preferred to take walks in the park to speeder biking. Vader helped the twins get their speeders out and they made their way to the park. Vader walked behind the twins as they sped up the shaded walkway. Summer was almost over but some late blooming trees still made a contrast of dark green against the orange and brown colors of the fall leaves.

Vader enjoyed time spent in the park with the twins. He could be just another regular father in the park, and for a moment forget what he really was. Vader signaled to the twins and they circled back to him. The rule was they could cycle fifteen feet ahead of him and then they had to come back. Luke hated the rule more than Leia as he was a speed demon. Vader never indulged him and frustrated him by taking slow sure steps in the park. As they approached him Luke began to whine.

"Dad, can't we go faster? Seriously this thing isn't even gettin' half the air it can!" he said. A grin split his cheeky face. "I say it's a waste of a good engine"

Vader smiled and roughed his hair. "When you're older squirt. For now, I would like all bones intact"

"But I am older. I am at least five months older than the last time we went biking"

Vader cocked an eyebrow. "It's been that long?"

Leia nodded. "Yeah, you've been real busy lately"

"Really busy, Leia. I didn't even realize that it's been so long" Vader said rubbing his one week growth and reminding himself to shave. "That's a long time"

"Yeah and it ain't fair! Why should the stinking Emperor have you all to himself?!"

Vader was horrified. Too horrified to notice Luke's grammar. Vader looked around quickly to make sure no one had heard his son's near treasonous statement. Relieved no one seemed to be paying them any attention Vader turned to his son. "Luke! Do not say such things!" He stopped his son's bike and knelt next to him. "Why did you say that?"

Luke looked down and dragged his boot across the brick pavement. "Because...He's always taking you away and Leia and I just wanna spend time with you...but you are never there"

Vader's heart clenched. This had never been his intention. He always figured the twins were independent but it was shocking to learn that they were so attached to him. Sure they said they loved him and hugged him, but Vader had never once sat down and deeply considered their feelings. He had adopted them for his own peace of mind from the nightmares that plagued him.

He felt inept when it came to spending genuine time with the twins, he instead opted to be the gift-bearing father who was home on the weekends. Vader realized his method of bringing up the twins was influenced by his upbringing as a Jedi. Growing up as a Jedi had caused him to think all attachment specifically that of children to adults was superficial and unnecessary for happiness.

He cleared his throat. "Is that why you've been skipping school?" he broached carefully.

Luke looked shocked that his father knew of his behavior, before he nodded. "I was hoping to get caught, so Principal Modove would call you and you'd come. But you never did"

Vader took a deep breath and turned to Leia. "Do you feel the same way sweetheart? Like I am not around enough?"

Leia shrugged. "Daddy, you're never home. We like it when you are home, just having you around is nice. Even if you are always working in your office." She said kicking at the pavement with her boot. "Before we were with you all the time...but of late its like we are Atina's children. I mean before last week we hadn't seen you for ages" she stopped. "And you never come to any of the parent events at school..."

"Yeah" Luke chimed in. "All the other kids fathers and mothers come. Some kids said we were nanny brats"

"They called you what?!" Vader was furious. "Who are these kids?"

Leia rushed to calm her dad. "Just some silly kids. I told Luke to ignore them" she shrugged, "Anyway its not a big deal or anything"

"We just wish you'd come...you know. Even if it's just once?" Luke and Leia looked at him with appealing pleading eyes.

Vader was conflicted, his heart was bursting. How could he have hurt his little angels so badly? He knew he loved them, there wasn't a doubt. So what was his problem? It dawned on him that he was afraid of losing them. Like Padmé. So he shunned any form of attachment.

He brushed thoughts of Padmé aside and smiled. "I promise I'll be at the next one."

Luke narrowed his eyes and gave him a side look. "You promise? Even if old Empy Two Cans..."

His father gave him a cautionary look and Luke stopped short of name calling the emperor. "I promise, even if I have to hog tie Admiral Ozzel to let me go" he said with a smile.

The twins squealed and hopped off their bikes to hug him. "Oh Daddy you're the best!" Leia said.

Vader sighed. He hoped so. He didn't want to lose the twins.

* * *

><p>Later, Leia entered her father's office and walked to him. Vader pulled away from his work with a tired smile. "Why aren't we in bed young miss?" He allowed her to clamber onto his lap and kissed her shiny hair.<p>

"Can't sleep. I am too worried about our school History project. Ms. Crece is the hardest teacher ever! She will kill us if we don't bring in an at least B standard Project" Leia said with the tired air of a grown up as she leaned against her father.

Vader smiled, remembering the volcano explosion from the Executor. "Well, what was your idea, the volcano?"

She nodded. "I thought it was a fabulous idea. But given our last attempt, I would say trying to detonate it at school would have some pretty catastrophic results" Leia said matter of factly.

Vader stifled a chuckle. He thought his daughter and her adult ways were extremely adorable. "Well why don't you do something simple?" He suggested "Like a historical event that doesn't require an explosion? Or a historical figure perhaps? That's a nice one"

Leia sat up with sparkling eyes. "You're right! We could do one on the Emperor, he is so old I am sure he was alive a hundred years ago!" She said excitedly.

Vader laughed heartily. "No Leia, he isn't that old. But you're on the right vein. A politician perhaps?"

An idea plopped into Leia's mind and she cupped her father's face and kissed his cheeks. "Daddy, you are soo smart!" she squealed.

Vader flushed slightly, feeling chuffed. "I am gonna wake Luke and tell him right now. We only have two weeks to work on this" she slid off his lap and hurried out to her father's amusement.

Luke lay asleep alone in their room. Luke's mouth was slightly open and gentle snores escaped his nostrils. His hands were sprawled out and he took up more than half of his full size bed. Leia bounded on his bed and yelled. "Wake up sleepy!"

Luke started and nearly tumbled off the bed. He sat up with a scowl. "What's up with you?" He asked crossly. "It's the middle of the night"

"Luke, Daddy just had the best idea! He said instead doing a volcano for our project we should do something with a historical figure" Leia said her eyes shining.

Luke groaned and flopped back on the bed, pulling his pillow over his head. "Oh stars, Leia. Schoolwork? This couldn't have waited till morning?" he groused.

Leia stuck out her tongue at him. "No 'cause I have an idea and I can't keep it to myself"

"So go tell Dad" Luke muttered.

Leia threw one of Luke's plush toys at him. Luke removed the pillow boredly and sat up. "What is it?" he asked sullenly.

Leia wiggled toward him comfortably. "Remember Rose?"

"Of course, how could anyone forget her? She's beautiful" Luke said with a dreamy voice.

Leia laughed at her brother. "Oh Luke. Well remember the story of the senator and the pilot?"

"Yeah?"

"Well we could do our project on her! She said it was a true story and I am sure we can find a list of past senators who died in service"

Luke was thoughtful for a moment. "Well okay...I guess it couldn't hurt. Can we go to sleep now?"

"Argh! I guess so. But better be up sharp and early tomorrow" Leia said. She was cross Luke didn't understand how important this was for their schoolwork. "We'll probably have to dig pretty deep since stuff from before the Empire is mostly deleted"

Luke nodded sleepily. "We should use Dad's computer. You know it has no parameters. And he sleeps for like an hour or so in the mornings, he thinks I don't know that" he said with a smug grin. Luke was the early riser of the two and was often up before sunrise pattering around the house. He drove his father and Atina insane asking for breakfast at 0500.

Leia grinned at her brother. "Alright! To the mystery lost Senator and our A!" she held up her hand.

Luke high-fived his sister and snuggled back into his bed. "Maybe we will even find the pilot." he added as Leia bounded into her own bed.

Neither of them realized just how life changing this project was going to be.

* * *

><p>"<em>I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you" <em>

_Vader glared across the lava river at Obi-Wan. "I should have known the Jedi were trying to take over" Vader spat at his former master._

_Obi-Wan was amazed that after all he had seen Anakin do today he was still surprised at his statement. "Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!" He said hoping Anakin's rationality still existed._

_Clearly he was mistaken, his former padawan's eyes flashed with annoyance. "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" he said._

_Obi-Wan looked closely at his friend. He knew Anakin's face so well, Obi-Wan felt his heart sink as he realized he no longer recognized the man in front of him. "Well, then you are lost!" Obi-Wan said._

_At this point in the fight Vader was incapable of feeling anything but pure rage. And it was starting to cloud his judgement. He was winded and this fight was pointless. Anakin and Obi-Wan had spent countless hours practicing together. They knew each better than they knew themselves. Anakin could predict Obi-Wan's next move from a small flicker in his brow, and Obi-Wan was just the same. They were simply falling into routine and the only way this fight would end was if both or one of them died. _

_Vader guided his pod till it was directly opposite Obi-Wan's and stared down at a man he once admired. "This is the end for you, My Master." He said contemptuously, his confidence filling his head like pure adrenaline._

_Obi-Wan took a steadying breath and watched as Vader jumped and flipped onto his platform. Their lightsabers clashed and the fighting continued. Obi-Wan strained against the strong thrusts of Vader's saber. _

_Finally, spotting the black sandy edge approaching Obi-Wan jumped toward the safety of the edge of the lava river. He turned to find a furious Vader glaring as the platform moved nearer. Vader posed to leap and Obi-Wan's gut clenched realizing what Vader intended to. _

_He yelled to him "It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground." _

"_You underestimate my power!" Vader replied enraged. _

_Obi-Wan raised his light saber in warning. "Don't try it." He said._

_Anakin was his brother, but he was so far gone that Obi-Wan would not hesitate to do what he had to. _

_Vader's eyes narrowed and he gathered the force around him before he leaped toward his master. Obi-Wan shut his eyes to not see what followed. The sound of a lightsaber searing through flesh caused him to open his eyes and he watched as his saber slashed through his young apprentice's right knee. Vader gave a pained cry and he twisted around to protect himself, exposing his left hand to Obi-Wan's saber. The lightsaber cut through merciless and Anakin's remaining flesh hand was sliced off at the wrist disarming him. _

_Vader fell to the ground and struggled to draw himself up on his arms, his eyes full of fury and hurt pride. Obi-Wan stepped back and watched as Vader tried to stand. Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber prepared to fight him, but lowered it as Vader collapsed to the ground again. _

_Vader fought to pull himself up the embankment with his mechanical hand and the stub of his left arm. He kicked his remaining leg in the sand to give himself some traction and made slow progress._

_Obi-Wan watched him sadly and extinguished his lightsaber, not having the heart to finish him off. "You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would, destroy the Sith, not join them, that you'd bring balance to the Force, not leave it in Darkness!" He yelled his voice hoarse with heartbreak._

"_I hate you!" Vader screamed at him._

_Obi-Wan shook his head sadly and bent to pick up Anakin's light saber and began to walk away. He stopped and looked back at his friend. "You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." he admitted despite the Jedi Code, despite all the rules and regulations. _

"_You chose to turn against me! You are now my enemy" Vader continued to shout to his retreating back. "This isn't over, I will find you! And I WILL KILL YOU!" he bellowed his voice raw with pain._

"Master Kenobi"

Obi-Wan started and returned to the present. He turned to find Bail Organa smiling at him. Slowly, the red fiery lava and darkness of Mustafar disappeared into a lovely moonlit night in Alderaan. Obi-Wan composed himself and blinked the wetness in his eyes away.

"Senator Organa," He said in greeting. "You gave a wonderful speech, I am not inclined to these things but I was impressed" he said gesturing towards the inside of ballroom where members of the alliance danced and laughed.

Bail smiled. "I know, it's nice to see you out and about. As the alliance, we have few and rare moments of peace like this" he said.

Obi-Wan nodded sadly and looked back to the view of the Alderaanian stars. "I'm afraid the Jedi have even fewer." he said.

Bail sighed. "I'm sorry about Adarlon." He said.

Obi-Wan waved a hand. "It was the will of Force." he said.

Bail wondered how the man could maintain such faith in the force with all the horrible things that had happened. Finally, he reasoned the troubled Jedi needed something to believe in. He wondered if he should burden him with news that was weighing heavily on him.

Obi-Wan glanced at him. "Is something wrong, Senator?" he asked.

Bail took a deep breath and leaned forward. "I was on the Executor this past week" he said in low voice.

The Jedi's features tightened, however he constructed his face into an impassive mask. "And you survived?" he said almost in faint amusement.

Bail continued. "Oh yes, Vader was on his best behavior. One or two delegates did cross the line and ended up with severe sore throats." he said in a slight jest.

Obi-Wan didn't crack a smile and Bail cleared his throat. "We certainly had a lot of entertainment" he said. Obi-Wan cast him a confused look. "Vader's twins are quite handful, I don't think he himself knows what to do with them"

Obi-Wan looked up in shock. "What?"

Bail nodded. "Yes, Vader has two children. Their names are Luke and Leia" he said watching the Jedi carefully.

The look of fright and horror on Obi-Wan's face bespoke his thoughts. "Luke and Leia?" he finally managed in a measured tone.

"Yes, they are the same age as Padmé's twins should be and they…." Bail paused and conveyed his biggest concern. "They are spitting images of both Anakin and Padmé right down to their personalities and features. I was beginning to think I was hallucinating, especially when they hugged Vader!"

Obi-Wan remained in shocked silence. That explained the subtle shifts he felt in the force concerning his former Padawan. "You don't think…?" he finally asked the question that seemed to hang in the air.

Bail shrugged. "I asked around and they are adopted, he's had them for a few years, four at the most." he said. Both men were silent and exchanged grave looks "If so he seems completely unaware of of my connection to the twins birth" Bail said. "Which means he can't know that they are his, IF they are who I believe them to be"

Obi-Wan paced up and down for a moment. "None of this makes sense. Vader thinks Padmé is dead! That the child went with her, he can't have been looking for them" he stopped and turned to Bail. "What do you think? Are they the lost children? Did they show signs of force sensitivity?"

Bail considered for a moment and shook his head. "They are just really mischievous, but they seemed like regular children. I even looked for signs of the dark side in them...I am not sure" he said pausing in thought. He thought of the impressive volcano. "They are also very intelligent children"

Obi-Wan was quiet and Bail spared him to his thoughts. Obi-Wan turned suddenly to Bail. "Did you mention any of this to Padmé?" he asked.

Bail felt uncomfortable under the Jedi's eyes. "Briefly, but I didn't tell her they were Vader's." he said. "She doesn't know about that fact."

Obi-Wan looked relieved. "Good, let's keep it that way" he said. "Let's not talk of this in such a public place again. I will meditate on the force and speak with Master Yoda about it. Hopefully, the force will be revealing about this"

Bail nodded doubtful about the Jedi's use of the 'force'.

"Hopefully" he replied.


	15. A School Project

**Author's note:** Hey everyone, I am back. This chapter is shorter than I wanted. But it has been a long time in coming. We are finally getting somewhere! Lol. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I love hearing from DF's readers. Some of you private messaged me and I enjoyed talking with you.

The last chapter had a bit of a controversial scene, I really wasn't sure how people would handle it. Some of you were very passionate about the outcome of the Vader/Obi-Wan fight. In any event it was nice to hear your views about it. I am not finished with that particular aspect of the story. But at this point, the story is moving onto more exciting things. So enjoy! (Sorry for the short essay).

Thank you to my beta reader Kolodey.

Just a head's up: Leia references the year 10:3. In the regular Star Wars universe, its equivalent would be 25 BBY.

* * *

><p><em>Organa's Palace Gardens, Alderaan<em>

Padmé leaned over the table and poured herself another cup of tea. When she was finished, she glanced at her work on her datapad. Work for the Alliance was very different from her work as a senator. Unlike the bills, appeals and other documents she had to pass in the senate, her work in the alliance required her to write letters and agendas to send to the rebel bases. This meant she had to go over strategies with the armed division of the Alliance and several other departments to get an accurate agenda for the Alliance's advancement. It was a big change of work, but Padmé welcomed the change and adapted easily. The one thing that hadn't changed was her. She still threw herself relentlessly into her work. There was a difference this time. In the previous years, of her service as queen and senator, Padmé worked hard to serve people. Now, she submerged herself in her work to fill a void, a void that was three times empty.

Padmé sighed and looked up as a familiar beep sounded. "Hello R2, is something wrong?" she asked as the astromech wheeled over to her.

Padmé loved the droid despite all the bittersweet memories it held. When she had been recovering, she could tell R2-D2 was trying to comfort her in his own way. Now that she was back at work, she used him in her work with the Alliance. She wondered where his ever present companion C-3PO was. As soon as she thought this, the gold protocol droid tottered into the gazebo. "Mistress Padmé! R2 and I have been searching for you" He said.

R2-D2 beeped a retort in response. 3PO shot him a glance of annoyance. "That's rude, and if you knew where she was the whole time, why didn't you say so?" he scolded.

Padmé smiled at 3PO and gestured to her surroundings. "I decided some fresh air would be good." She said. "Why were you looking for me?" she asked.

"Oh my goodness! I completely forgot, a message came for you." 3PO said.

"A message?" Padmé asked, "From the Alliance?" she asked standing up and moving to R2. She wondered who else it could be, since the only other person who had her contact details was...Linux. Padmé's heart stopped as she considered it had been months since she had heard from her private investigator. The possibility of a message from him made a small spark of hope flare within her.

"No, it's a coded message and he won't show it to me! I told him he didn't need to bother you with it, I could easily relay the message. He seems to forget that I am here to make your life much easier…"

"And you are a big help" Padmé reassured him quickly, knowing once 3PO got on this vein there was nothing that would stop him from ranting. Knowing that message was coded, Padmé knew it wasn't wise to watch it in presence of the protocol droid. 3PO was very loyal but he wasn't very discreet, especially around Obi-Wan. So, she tactfully turned to the droid and said. "Can you be a dear and go get me some more tea?"

3PO seemed unaware that he was being chased off and replied "Of course Mistress Padmé, why you don't even have to ask!" He tottered to the table and picked up the tray before leaving the small gazebo.

As soon as 3PO was out of earshot, Padmé knelt in front of R2. "Play the message, Artoo" she said, holding her breath.

A small blue image of her private investigator appeared. "Miss Rose Black, this Linux. Contact me as soon as possible. I have very important news for you"

The message was very brief and clipped. Padmé sat back on her heels and chewed her lip nervously. What did he mean he had news for her? And why couldn't he just have said what it was? She was about to try and return his message when she heard Winter's giggle nearby. She looked up and smiled as the little girl ran towards her. Breha followed behind her daughter, walking slowly. Padmé stood up and hugged Winter.

"Miss Padmé!"

"Hey there,"

"She just finished her dance class. She wanted to show you her new moves." Breha said entering the gazebo.

Padmé smiled at the little girl and led her to the center of the gazebo. "Okay show me what you learned today" Padmé said as she stood back to watch Winter with amusement.

* * *

><p>Luke sat up the next morning with a grin. Today, he and Leia started work on their history project. Luke wasn't so much excited about learning about the senator. No, it was the intrigue and secrecy that went with it that excited his boyish senses. That and the fact that he loved any excuse to use his father's high-tech mega speed computer. The thing was so powerful that with the right keywords, one could find anything they so desired.<p>

Luke slipped out of bed and put on his podracer shaped bed slippers. Normally, when he woke up early he went around quietly so as not to wake Leia. But today he pattered to her bed and shook her awake. Leia sat up with a scowl.

"What?" she hissed sleepily.

"You've forgotten? History project? Dad's computer?" he asked.

It took a few second's for Leia to remember and her frown cleared.. "Noo…" She said with yawn.

Luke snorted at this and Leia shrugged. "Okay, yes for a moment I had." She admitted and slid off her bed, blindly trying to locate her slippers. She put them on left foot to right slipper and bumped herself on the way to the fresher.

Luke watched his half-awake sister in amusement and followed her into the fresher. They washed their faces and collected their school datapads and stylus' before heading out of their room to their father's office.

Vader was not in his office and upon a quick glance from his twins in his bedroom, he was found to be asleep. Luke gave his sister an 'I told you so' look and the twins hurried on quietly. Their father's office was large and bare. Any junk he and Luke collected was stored in the garage several floors down. All the office contained was a large desk, large comfy chair that Luke thought was perfect for spinning around. On the desk sat a holo-projector and the beauty of the room: A large computer that took up more than half the desk.

Luke bounded to the chair and sat in it his arms sprawled onto the arm rests. "I am the Emperor of the galaxy" he announced in a grand whisper.

Leia snorted and tried squeeze in the chair beside her brother. "No, you're just a nettlebrain." She stared at computer and turned to her brother. "How do we work this thing?"

Luke scooted over to make room for his sister. "Oh so now you want nettlebrain's help, huh? Well he ain't giving it!"

Leia gave an apologetic smile. "I take it back, see?"

Luke smirked and scooted the chair forward. He knelt in the chair to reach the keypad comfortably and turned on the computer. They waited for the computer to power on and shortly a password box appeared on the screen.

Leia eyed her brother dubiously. "What's the password?" she asked.

Luke smiled with secret pleasure. "Angel"

Leia's face contorted into one of puzzlement and disbelief. "Angel?! Why would Daddy have a password as simple and corny as that?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "How the heck should I know?"

"How'd you get it anyway?" Leia pressed.

"Well I was wondering what it was. Then one day, I got this brilliant idea from a holovid." Luke paused dramatically. Leia rolled her eyes and Luke smiled before continuing.

"I wiped the keypad clean and waited for Dad to come in. Then I woke you up by putting that hairy spider in your bed and you screamed up a storm up. Dad ran to the rescue and I used a black light to see which letters or numbers he had pressed on the keypad. Hey presto! I had to run a decoder of possible passwords but it was pretty much a no brainer"

Luke looked to his sister for applause and instead met with a face of fury. "You're the one who put that stupid thing in my bed?! I am telling Daddy!" she said angrily, forgetting to keep her voice down.

Luke covered her mouth quickly. "Shut up! Do you want to wake up the entire building? Dad's a very light sleeper. If he catches us using his computer, he will kill us." He whispered crossly. "You know how he says this computer isn't a toy and blah blah blah."

Leia composed herself and threw her brother's hand off. "Fine" she whispered. "But I am still mad at you!"

Luke typed in the password and the computer accepted it. Seconds later he pulled up the search window. "Okay, do we know what are we looking for?"

Leia turned on her datapad and leaned forward. "Well, I guess we can start off with list of senators, who are female, who've died in service." she said.

Luke typed in the words senator, female, dead. The powerful search system scored several results and Luke looked deflated. "There are over 200,000 results Leia. Rose's mystery senator could be any one of them"

Leia cocked her head and sighed. "Well...try young. Rose said the senator and the pilot met when they were young."

Luke nodded and added the word to the search terms. The results were narrowed down to a couple hundred. Luke clicked through the first few articles and closed them shaking his head. "These are all either married, left office and got married or died just before getting married to their fi..fy..fiya"

Leia looked at the word her brother was struggling to say. "Fiances'?" she said in amusement.

Luke glared at her. "Whatever. They don't fit the story" he said.

The twins stared at the results in disappointment for a few minutes. Finally, Luke looked up his eyes shining. "Hey, how about if we search for beautiful young female senator dies mysteriously?"

Leia arched an eyebrow. "Sounds very poetic. But how do we know she was beautiful?"

"Because Leia, I assure you, she said the pilot was a boy when they met. Boys don't fall for ugly women. We're too shallow." Luke said frankly.

Leia feigned shock and snickered at her brother's statement. Shaking her head, she gestured to the computer. "Very well, type that in"

Luke re-entered his search criteria and looked at the results. "Voila! See? Only seven results. One of them must be her!" he said excitedly.

Leia nodded in agreement. Luke clicked the first article, both leaned forward in anticipation. Leia sank back in disappointment. "It is about a female senator who died from a mysterious illness she contracted on her honeymoon before the Great ReSynchronization"

Luke pulled a face and looked at the next search result. "This one is titled 'Loss of Naboo's beloved senator'" He said clicking it.

The computer beeped and froze for a second then a small window came up. Luke read the message. "Classified Information. Level 10 pass needed to access this information. Verifying code level."

Leia arched an eyebrow and the twins exchanged worried looks. "What does that mean?" Leia asked.

"It means this is some serious poodoo we're getting into." Luke said in serious tone.

"This must be her!" Leia said excitedly.

They waited patiently for the verification and sighed with relief when the small window disappeared and the article began to load.

Luke and Leia leaned forward and held their breath. The article loaded and they began to read it. "Senator Padmé Amidala" Leia read out in a low voice. "who has served as Naboo's senator from the Year 10:3 has been announced as dead"

Luke moved closer to the screen than necessary. "That's gotta be her! She died the same year we were born Leia" he said. He attempted to scrawl down but the screen froze again and the small window appeared again.

Leia let out a frustrated growl as the verification process started again. "Why does it keep doing that? We won't be able to read anything about her, at this rate. This soo frustrating!"

Luke remained calm and looked around thoughtfully. "Calm down, I believe Dad's level pass will work. We should be fine"

"How'd you know?" Leia asked crossly.

"Cause. For us to watch a lot of the podraces, we sometimes have to bypass the Imperial filters. He never has any problems with the filter, I know cause my friends at school don't get all the podraces we do" Luke said. "But it acts up like this sometimes"

"So we're stuck till it verifies it again?" Leia asked getting anxious

Luke smiled at his sister and nodded his head. Finally, the window disappeared and the twins watched as the screen froze for a second before the full article loaded. Several pictures of the Nubian senator were included with the article. Luke and Leia gasped in shock at the pictures of the woman before them.

Luke spoke first "It's..."

"Rose! Cept' her hair is longer and she's got on the headdress" Leia finished.

Luke began to read the article out loud while Leia transferred a copy to her datapad. "Naboo's beloved senator's death is shrouded in mystery. The planet buried their beloved former queen in a befitting ceremony. Her death comes just as the new Empire is being born. Some conspirators believe she was killed by the new regime and others think she died due to broken heart."

The twins exchanged looks and Luke continued reading. "Shockingly, the senator was pregnant at the time of her death. Who the father was and whether he was the cause of her death is unknown. The Nubian government and Senator's family are being very tight-lipped about the senator's death and her condition upon death. It is believed the child died with her..."

"Child?" Leia asked willfully confused. "Look there is a picture of her dead. She is pregnant"

"Her baby died. Poor Rose" Luke said still in shock and Leia nodded looks. "That's why she doesn't have a family!"

Leia shook her head. "It can't be Rose. She is very much alive, and this woman is dead" she said rationally.

"Leia, it is her! Look at her, no one can look just like someone else. That is Rose!" Luke said.

Leia was quiet and studied the pictures. "You have a point" she finally said. But if so why did she lie? She could have just said it was her!"

"Leia don't be stupid! She's supposed to be dead! How can she claim to be a dead person?" Luke asked continuing to scrawl through the detailed article of Padmé's life from youth to death. "She was queen of Naboo. See here?" He pointed to a picture of her in white face paint and royal dress. "She is soo beautiful."

Leia glared at her brother and closed her datapad after it received the article. She then leaned forward and joined her brother in reading. "Look it says that during her reign as queen, Amidala encountered resistance with the Trade..."

"What are you two doing?" Vader's amused voice asked.

Luke and Leia jumped and looked up to find their father leaning against the door frame watching them. Luke's hands hurriedly flew across the keypad to close the articles. He shut down the computer to the home screen and grinned guiltily. "We were...urm..we..uh… we were trying to use your computer to help us with our history project" he said. It was not a complete lie, the boy reasoned with himself.

The twins looked at their father nervously. Vader was very strict when it came to his office. The room and his computer were off limits to the twins. It was one of the things he was very firm about.

Vader raised an eyebrow and walked to the desk and stopped behind them. "And how far did you get with that?"

"We were..uh...trying to figure out the password. We were hoping it was our names, you know some parents do that?" Leia said her mind scrambling for a reasonable excuse. "But apparently someone doesn't love us that much!" She folded her arms in mock anger, in an attempt to distract her father.

Her father laughed and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I've told you two. This computer isn't a toy"

"We aren't playing with it! We were honest to goodness going to use it for our school project!" Luke protested, a small tremor escaping in his voice.

"Oh is that right?" Vader asked with a smile. He knew his little rascals were up to something but decided to let them have their secrets. He leaned over the twins and typed in the password.

"Don't make me regret this" He said roughing their hair and straightening up. "I have to go somewhere for a hour or two. Think you can manage without me for a while?"

The twins nodded vigorously, eager to get their father out of the house. Vader frowned at their eagerness but continued. "The troopers will be just downstairs if you need anything"

"We'll be fine!" Luke and Leia hurriedly waved their father off. Vader's frown deepened at this and he left the room slowly much to the twins frustration.

When he was gone, Luke turned to his sister. "Whaddya know? Ask and you shall be given!"

Leia rolled her eyes at him "Very funny Luke" she said. "Now pull up more articles on the senator"

"Bossy-boots" Luke teased before he began to work on pulling up more articles and he even managed to find video footage.

* * *

><p>Vader maneuvered his speeder through the light traffic of Imperial City. One of the empire's perks in Imperial Capital was the lack of traffic. Most people flew at a set pace in extreme organization. One infraction could get one up to two years in Imperial prison and no one wanted that. The few who were above the law enjoyed being able to speed through the city and break laws without punishment.<p>

Darth Vader was one such man. He flew at breakneck speed and had little regard for others or his own safety while at it. He had been summoned by the emperor to give his quarterly report. Vader was sort of dreading the meeting. He didn't have any news on the rebels or the mysterious Black Rose. The woman was becoming a big problem for Vader, along with the Emperor's growing obsession for her demise.

Sidious' paranoia continued to rise as Black Rose continued to travel frequently among rumored rebel bases. This prompted the old man to send Vader around on several bantha chases during the past few months. Vader was irritated with his master's incessant calls about the potential locations of Black Rose. How was it his business that his master's informants were crap? Vader had tried to reason with his master, but no… the Emperor insisted that Vader must find the stupid woman and bring her before Sidious so he could personally kill her.

Vader cursed as he rudely cut in front of a small speeder-bus. He landed at Emperor's palace landing bay and leaped out of his speeder. The guards greeted him loudly as he entered the palace but Vader walked by without acknowledging them. He stalked down the halls to his master's private quarters.

The two guards at the doors bowed slightly, Vader motioned to the door. "He's expecting me" he said with a growl. Vader currently wished the Emperor wasn't expecting him.

The guards opened the door promptly and Vader stepped in quietly. Sidious stood in his private living room with his back to horrible opera music Sidious delighted in, played at full throttle and Vader could see Sidious was directing an imaginary ensemble. Vader's lips creased in a slight sneer that he covered up quickly with a mask of blankness. Vader stood by till the horrid music finished. Sidious turned around slowly as applause rung through the room.

"Lord Vader"

Vader fell to one knee. "My master"

"Rise" Sidious said with his usual patronizing tone. "Prince Xizor, join us"

Vader stood slowly and for the first time recognized the foul scent in the air. Prince Xizor appeared from the corner of the room not far from Vader. He was accompanied by the young spy, Zed. _Insipid fools_, Vader thought in irritation. When all three stood before the Emperor, Sidious turned to Vader expectantly.

"Master, what is the meaning of this?" Vader asked not inclined to give his report in front of Xizor and his crony.

"Lord Vader. Are you forgetting your place?" Sidious asked, his voice coated with rage at Vader's insubordination.

Vader looked down quickly. "No my master." he said restraining his own anger. Without mincing any words he bit out his report on the missions he had been sent on. When he was done Sidious turned his back on the three.

"So you have nothing" He said. It wasn't a question so Vader didn't bother to respond. "Prince Xizor, hopefully your informant has been more useful than Lord Vader?"

Vader bristled at the insult but outwardly remained calm. Prince Xizor smiled and gestured to Zed. "He has. Zed, please do tell the Emperor what you've learned so far?"

Zed stepped forward and Vader noticed the throbbing vein in his neck. Vader had to admire the young man, he hid his nervousness well. "Well, your highness, The rebel base here on Imperial Capital is doing well. They are a small base on purpose. I have the location…"

"What about the location of Black Rose?" Sidious interrupted, seemingly annoyed. "I need the leaders of this rabble, not the followers. This woman is going around and encouraging these fools. With the numerous trips she has made safely, they are starting believe that their cause is worthy"

Zed swallowed before he continued. "I..uh..don't have the location of Black Rose…"

"Idiots!" Sidious bellowed suddenly and turned and unleashed a torrent of sith lightning on the young man and Prince Xizor. Vader tried not smirk and noticed with distaste that Prince Xizor had used Zed as a shield. The young man was totally unprepared for the pain he received and Vader watched in interest as Zed's face contorted briefly into something strange and inhuman.

Zed recovered quickly and gritted his teeth through the mild torture Sidious inflicted. The punishment was brief compared to the sessions Vader had often been subjected to. Sidious released them and began to pace. "Why don't you have her location?"

"She is very careful, I know the com code she gives the bases. But she never answers and you can only get in touch with her if she wishes to speak with you." Zed said, however his confidence was gone and there was a noticeable quiver to his voice.

Vader turned to look at the man. "Surely you know of a general location?" he asked.

"The Mid Rim territories. But I am afraid I am still gaining the trust of the rebels here. The only way I have as much information as I do is due to slicing" Zed said. "I gave all my information to Lord Vader"

"What happened to information you were given Lord Vader?"

"My men are looking into it." Vader replied carefully.

"Well make them hurry! It's been a few months since Black Rose was last here. I want her location and I want it now" Sidious said, not caring that he was shouting.

He turned to Prince Xizor. "Prince Xizor I am disappointed. I was hoping to put this issue of Black Rose to rest. I am afraid you are not much help. You are dismissed" He said.

Xizor looked uncomfortable but he bowed and turned to leave with Zed, when the latter stopped. "All is not lost your majesty. I might have a way to lure Black Rose back, I will just need the help of the Imperial government"

Sidious turned around, surprised that Zed was still in the room. He considered his words. "Very well, you have it. Now get out"

The two men retreated and Vader remained silent. For a while, the silence continued as Sidious watched his apprentice standing in front of him, before saying "You are growing weaker in the dark side Vader. I can sense a lot of light side in you" he said.

Vader didn't respond and frowned heavily. He knew why, it was the twins. He underestimated the power his love for them would have on him. Choosing not to inform his master of this fact, he remained silent.

Sidious seemed to accept this and continued. "I want you to go to Vjun. You must strengthen yourself in the dark side, if we are ever accomplish our goals. Go spend some time at your castle. Surround yourself in the dark side of the Force."

"Yes, my master"

"You should leave immediately." Sidious said.

Vader took a breath. "Yes, my master, but there are somethings I must take care of here"

Sidious eyed his apprentice carefully. "Well then leave soon."

Vader bowed and left the room, hopefully he had bought himself enough time to spend with the twins till Atina returned in a day or two. He also wanted to look over the decoded version of information Zed had provided him. The quicker he caught this Black Rose and eliminated another Rebel Base the better. Once he was sure the empire was secure he could put his plan to take over into action. Then he would do away with both his master and Prince Xizor.

* * *

><p>Padmé smiled graciously at everyone at the dinner table. Bail, his wife and Obi-Wan were the only ones present at the intimate dinner. She was dying to get over with the dinner and had waited till the dessert had been served and plates cleared to broach her exit. Bail told a joke and Padmé laughed politely before clearing her throat. "Dinner was lovely, but I must beg leave" she said carefully.<p>

Breha looked up concerned. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

Padmé hurried to assure her. "Oh yes, everything is fine. I am a little tired is all. I haven't been sleeping well, I have been a little stressed lately"

Obi-Wan and Bail exchanged looks and remained silent. "Then by all means go rest." Breha said. "Would you like to borrow some of my bath salts? A hot bath might be nice"

Padmé shook her head quickly, knowing Breha would want to bring them to her room personally. "No, perhaps tomorrow. I just want to crash for tonight" she said.

Breha nodded in understanding.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Padmé said goodnight and tried not leave the dining room in too much of a noticeable hurry. As she left, she could hear them discussing her in muted tones, but at this point she couldn't be bothered to eavesdrop. She made her way to her rooms and entered quietly. She had instructed R2 to wait up for her in her bedroom and found the diligent droid in place. She waited with baited breath for him to put through the communications.

It took several tries before the image of Linux appeared before her. "Miss Black" he said with his wide smile.

Padmé didn't return it. "You had news for me?" she asked anxiously.

"Nice to see you too." Linux replied genially. He caught Padmé's murderous look and cleared his throat. "Yes ma'am. I am sure you will be very pleased" he said.

"Well, what is it?"

"As I told you before, I had a friend of mine look into the system and see if he could pull the records"

Padmé didn't dare to release the breath she was holding. "Yes?" she asked softly.

"Well he was successful, in fact he has been very helpful. He was able to help me track down the possible location of your children"

"You've found them?"

"We are fairly certain. In fact I have a hologram." He disappeared momentarily and R2 beeped and projected a small image. Padmé leaned forward breathlessly as the image loaded. The image had clearly been taken from a hiding place. Two small children sat on small speeder bikes with helmets on. Padmé wished they didn't wear the large helmets as the annoying things hid their faces. A man knelt beside one of the bikes adjusting something. Padmé eyed him uncomfortably and suddenly her joy at seeing her children faded. Her children already had a family, how would they react to her showing up and claiming they had unlawfully been adopted?

Taking a steadying breath Padmé asked. "Is that them?"

The image moved to the side and Linux reappeared. "Yes Milady."

Padmé sighed and looked at the image longing to see the faces behind the helmets. "What are they like?" she asked.

Linux smiled widely. "They are very active children" he said. "They seem like good children"

Padmé could tell Linux had already seen through her facade of not being related to the two children. Padmé was quiet for a moment and simply studied the small picture. She was seeing her children for the first time in several years and she couldn't touch them. Linux cleared his throat, Padmé swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to blink her tears away.

"Milady?" he asked. Padmé returned her attention to him. "What do you want to do now?"

Padmé was quiet. "I don't know, I...don't know" she repeated hopelessly. This wasn't the way she envisioned finding her children. She suddenly found herself consumed with tremendous fear. She didn't want to approach her children only to be rejected, or worse.

Linux nodded understandingly. "Perhaps you should come to Imperial Capital? Observe them before you make your decision?"

Padmé considered this, she couldn't jolly well tell Obi-Wan she was going to observe her children. He would have a fit, he had already thrown one over her visit to the base a few months ago. Besides that, lately, both he and Bail had become overly-protective over her. When she asked why, they became defensive. Padmé couldn't help feeling like they were up to something.

She looked back to the holo of her children and made her decision. "Yes, that's a good idea" she said. "I will have to make the arrangements and I'll keep you updated."

Linux smiled. "Good, you could come visit the base again. I am sure everyone would appreciate that. We always love receiving visits from founders" he said.

Padmé nodded thoughtfully. That was a good idea. She could go under the guise of visiting the base and it would be easy for Linux to take her to see the twins. Padmé felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought of being alone with Linux, but hurriedly brushed it away as silliness on her part. He had proven his worth had he not?

"That is definitely a plan. I'll let you know. Thank you for your work" she said.

"It was nothing, I am happy to help. I completely understand losing family. I lost my wife and child myself" He said with a sad flicker of emotion.

"I'm sorry about that" Padmé said not wanting to reveal her own emotions. "I have to go," she said quickly. "I will hopefully see you soon"

"Yes, and hopefully everything will go in a favorable light."

Not wanting to jinx anything Padmé cut the transmission and stood up slowly. R2 left her to her own thoughts. She walked to the glass doors and stepped outside. She was unsure of her decision to go back to Imperial Capital so soon. However, this might be the only opportunity she would ever have to be given a chance of being in her children's life. Perhaps the children's adoptive father would be receptive to her situation. Maybe they could come to some form of agreement. But whatever the outcome turned out to be, Padmé was determined to have some claim in her children's life.

* * *

><p>Yes, so plots and plans. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that I start school on Monday. This means my updating might not be as quick. I intend to keep it regular. Especially during the first few weeks of school. But the longest will probably be two weeks between updates (Please let that not be the case). I am already working on sixteen so I should have that up soon! Thanks for reading.<p> 


	16. The Pilot

**Author's note:** Hey everyone! I told y'all I had sixteen mostly done, well here it is. I hope you enjoy it. I call this Luke and Leia being nosy. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I loved your reviews and insight! I promise the story is starting get to the good stuff. Or at least what I consider fun.

Thanks to my beta, Kolodey.

* * *

><p>"Luke! Leia! Get that lizard out of my kitchen!" Atina shrieked as she ran from the kitchen.<p>

Vader sighed and laid out his shaving tools preparing to do his morning ritual. He grimaced as he scratched his week and a half old beard. The twins had kept him on his toes these last few days, he hadn't even had time to shave. He grinned as he heard Atina's yells of fury as a large lizard crawled onto her counters.

"Atina, that's Oscar, he wouldn't hurt a fly." Luke could be heard saying.

"Oh is that right? Well if you don't take him out, he will get hurt!" Atina yelled. "I have a blaster and I am not afraid to use it"

"No! Atina, he is our science project!"

"Well, what does he want my oven mitts for? Oh no look, he is tearing it up!" Atina wailed. "Get him out! OUT!"

"Okay, okay!" Luke said. "Chill! I'll grab him"

Vader shook his head at the commotion outside and raised his shaver to his chin. He was glad Atina was back. At least he didn't have to deal with the twins shenanigans alone. A crash could be heard followed by a murderous yell. Vader's steady hand jerked and he cursed as he cut himself with the shaver. He wiped the gash on his jaw and dropped his shaver and stalked to the kitchen.

Atina stood with a mobile sweeper raised swinging it about dangerously about to murder the skulking lizard. A shattered platter containing pancakes lay on ground. Luke was expertly dodging Atina's wild swings trying to coax Oscar to come to him with a little live insect.

Vader realized that if his cheek wasn't smarting he would actually find the scene comical. "Atina put that sweeper down" Vader said calmly. He immobilized the lizard with the force and picked it up deftly. "See? He won't hurt you"

Atina glared at the lizard furiously. "Perhaps not, but he has destroyed my best oven mitt, ruined breakfast and created a hideous mess in one of the cushions. I'd say he's hurt plenty!" she stopped as she observed Vader. "You're bleeding"

Vader touched the warm liquid trickling down his chin. "That's because all of you wouldn't shut up when I was trying to shave"

"Well, if that monster had been kept in his cage I wouldn't have been yelling!" she protested.

Luke approached his father and took the guilty lizard out of the force grip. "I will just return him to his cage then. Morning Dad" he said as he darted out of the kitchen quickly.

Atina began to sweep up the mess of pancakes. She did this while muttering to herself in irritation. "Lizards! What's next? A rancor?"

Vader gave a tight smile and went back to his bathroom and finished shaving. He stepped out and found the twins already at the dining table. Luke gave his father a grin with a mouthful of pancake.

"These are good Dad" he said chewing happily. "Maybe Oscar should ruin breakfast more often!"

Leia looked at her brother in disgust. "Close your mouth!" she snapped.

"Hey I wasn't talking to you!"

"Eww, you spat! Daddy!" Leia said moving her plate away out of Luke's fire line. Luke stuck his tongue out at Leia.

Vader said a silent prayer and sat down. They were at it again. "Are you two fighting because Atina is back?" he asked picking up his coffee cup.

"No" the twins said contritely. "We are sorry"

"Uh huh. I'm sure you are." He took a slow sip of the bitter brew. "I have work to do aboard the Executor. So I will be gone till afternoon. How's your history project coming?"

The twins exchanged grins. "It's coming. We are doing it on a senator" Leia said secretively.

Her father watched her gleeful excitement in slight amusement. "Oh? Which one?"

"She died seven years ago," Luke said stuffing another forkful of pancakes in his mouth. "Her name was Senator Amidala"

Vader choked on his coffee violently and wondered if he had perhaps misheard Luke. After all the boy had been talking with a mouth full of pancakes. Atina, who was bringing in his breakfast hurried to bang her boss' back. Vader coughed and rubbed his throat feeling his face flush a brilliant pink. The twins stared at him in surprised horror.

"Are you okay Daddy?" Leia asked her face creased with worry.

Vader cleared his throat and loosened his collar. "What? Oh yes, I'm fine Leia"

"Why's your face so red?" Luke asked. "Is it because of Senator Amidala?"

Vader stifled another cough and cleared his throat again. "I...I have to go" He said getting up quickly. He grabbed at his cloak which had hitched on the chair. "Luke, Leia, be good."

The twins and Atina watched in shock as the man practically fled the room. A crash sounded in the hallway and a muttered curse could be heard. Atina blinked at the tray of food she had placed on the table and Vader's empty seat. "Well..." she began. "He must have been in a hurry" she said to the confused twins.

Luke smiled and stared at his father's tray of eggs and sausage. "Can I have his breakfast?"

* * *

><p>Luke was puzzled. Why in the galaxy would his father react like that over Senator Amidala's name? Maybe he knew her? His normally stoic father had choked, blushed and ran. Luke Skywalker was a smart boy and a very curious one too. He went after answers with the tenacity of a bounty hunter. And right now he knew where to start looking. Luke pattered to the kitchen where Atina moved about cooking.<p>

"Tina?" He asked sitting on a stool. "Get me a shot"

Atina gave Luke a small head shake and retrieved an empty glass which she filled with cold chocolate milk. "What's up little munchster?"

Luke took the glass and took a long sip. "I don't know. Did you ever know Dad's wife? He said she died...I am just wondering"

Atina's mouth turned down and she shook her head. "Nope, I didn't even know your Dad till you two came along. I was hired after a rigorous interview process"

"How come he doesn't have any friends? Isn't that weird?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. Your Dad, he is a busy man. Maybe he just doesn't have time to socialize and stuff"

Luke nodded. "I guess that makes sense. He hardly has time for us without adding friends to the equation" the boy was thoughtful for a moment. "Do you know Dad's first name Tina?"

Atina cast the boy a look. "If I tell you, will you go away?"

Luke nodded. Atina leaned forward and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "I have no freaking clue and I don't intend to poke about in your father's business." she said.

Luke rolled his eyes at her and slipped off the stool. "Whatever Atina. Well I know his last name, same as ours so that's a start" he said.

He made his way to his father's office and sat at the desk. He pulled up the search finder and typed in Skywalker. A few miscellaneous articles came up, nothing of interest. Luke pulled up the database that had given them so much info on Senator Amidala. He had to wait for verification and waited for it access the information. Finally the the results loaded and Luke smirked as over 500,000 results came up. "Now we're talking."

Luke read quietly. All the articles were about a man named Anakin Skywalker. He was stated as a war hero, a...Jedi. "What in the world is a Jedi?" Luke asked out loud. He barely glanced up as his sister peeked in the room.

"Doing more research on our Senator? We basically have a staunch project now. I just have to finish the Nubian Queen dress for our doll prop"

Luke shook his head. "Nope, I am searching for Dad or at least the name Skywalker. All that comes up is stuff on this guy called Anakin Skywalker. He was like some big shot around the same time she was senator."

Leia listened in interest and walked in to sit next her brother. "Well click one of the articles."

Luke mimicked her demand under his breath and clicked an article. Leia raised an eyebrow and read off the article. "Wow, he was really busy, He was a pilot, fought in several hundred battles and was a...what's a Jedi?"

"I have no clue. I did a search but nothing came up. Not even in the database."

"Is there a hologram of him? Maybe he's like related to Daddy or something" Leia said leaning forward. Luke tapped another article. "Here he is..."

The twins were quiet. Luke stared as Leia reached out and traced the young face in front of her. "It's Daddy. See even this scar by his eye"

Luke scrutinized the hologram. "Can't be, are you sure?" He turned the 3D image and shook his head in disbelief. "It is him, he looks younger though. A lot younger and I don't think his eyes are that blue anymore"

Leia cocked her head. "What is he wearing though? Yish!" She said staring at the unusual robes.

Luke continued reading and suddenly grabbed his sister's arm. Leia glared at him. "What?"

"Leia...remember the Trade Federation thingy that Senator Amidala suffered with as Queen?" He asked his voice shaking.

"Yeah, she won though. Naboo defeated them when a young pilot destroyed their droid control tower"

Luke nodded. "Yep. Dad was that pilot, or at least this guy was"

"No! Get out! Really?"

"Yeah, says here 'A then nine year old Anakin was named a hero of Naboo due to his outstanding piloting skills in downing the Trade Federation's droid tower. He is now known as the "Hero With No Fear". He is probably the best pilot the Jedi have, part of the dynamic duo with the highest success rates in battle...'"

Leia stopped her brother. "Pilot."

Luke nodded. "That's what I was thinking. Do you think..?"

"It's possible. That would explain his reaction at breakfast"

"Senator and pilot. Dad and Rose?"

Leia froze and her face blanched. "No. Rose said the pilot became a bad man. Daddy is not a bad man!" she said. "This is a mistake, maybe Daddy has a twin or something"

Luke nodded. "You're right, Dad can't be the same man...or the pilot in Rose's story. It's just too stupid for words." he said with an awkward laugh. His sister nodded shakily and gave a small smile of her own. Luke wondered. _Was it_?

* * *

><p>Vader's fork clanked against the plate as he pierced some of Atina's tender steak. He munched on it, savoring the flavor of meat appreciatively. He stopped chewing as he observed Luke and Leia. The two had been acting weird ever since he had gotten home. For instance, they were currently watching his every move as if they were waiting for him to do something magical. Vader lowered his fork and gave them a look.<p>

"Alright you two. What's wrong?" he asked finally.

Luke and Leia started as though they hadn't realized they were staring. "Nothing!" Luke said diving into his food which had previously sat untouched.

Leia remained staring at her father. "It's just...well you choked on your food at breakfast when we said Senator Amidala..OW!" Leia rubbed the spot on her shin where Luke had kicked her.

Luke gave his sister a glare and continued eating. Vader seemed prepared for this and didn't even flinch at the mention. He reached for his glass and took a measured sip of water.

"Daddy?" Leia asked staring at her father intensely.

"Hmm?"

"Did you know her?" Leia pressed. She knew she was being cheeky, but her heart ached with fear. What if Rose was right? Her father couldn't be a bad man. He just couldn't.

Vader wanted to die, of all the senators they could have done their project on why did it have to be 'her'? He rubbed his forehead with one hand. "Leia, that was a long time ago...I'm sure I heard about her or something"

Leia's sharp eyes flashed at his words.. "It wasn't that long ago. She died seven years ago"

"Oh did she? Hmm how awful" Vader attempted to place his glass down but it wobbled dangerously. He didn't want to talk about Padmé but Leia wasn't about to let it go.

"Daddy!"

"What?" Vader snapped.

"What are you not telling us?" Leia asked cheekily.

Luke looked up with a face of horror at his sister's boldness. He opened his mouth to tell her to be quiet, but shut it quickly.

Vader looked up in frustration. Why did the twins have to be so intuitive and force sensitive? Surely the force was laughing at him. He cleared his throat and tried think of a reasonable answer. "Leia, I didn't know this was discussion or that I was on trial. What makes you think I am hiding something from you?" he asked hoping he sounded earnest.

Leia frowned, knowing her father was hedging. "Were you married to her?" she said asking the most unexpected question. Luke gasped and kicked his sister again, but it was too late.

Vader flinched and his face hardened. He and Padmé had kept their marriage hidden for three years without anyone guessing. What in the galaxy had possessed Leia to draw such a conclusion, when she hadn't even been there? He was starting to regret letting the twins use his computer and giving Leia the idea to do a project on a politician. How was this possible? He swallowed. "Leia, no. What would give you such an idea?"

Leia felt like her world was about to collapse. Her father was avoiding her gaze. Something he never did. "You're lying! I can tell! I don't know what about but I'll find out!" Leia stood up so fast her chair fell and she flew out the room.

Vader was stunned. He had suddenly lost his appetite and turned to Luke. He cleared his throat and cocked his head. "What was that all about?" he asked in a measured tone.

Luke shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably. "I think she's been spending too much time reading articles for the project" he said. "Conspiracy theories and such"

Vader frowned at this. His computer was very powerful. He should have known better than let his children use it. But he thought it would be a harmless children's project. Not one that brought up unwanted memories. Painful unwanted memories. "But how do I get worked into it? And what's all this marriage nonsense? I am fairly certain Senator Amidala died single"

Luke realized his father didn't know of Rose and the pilot and studied his food before he said. "Well..you choked at breakfast"

"Coffee went down the wrong pipe" Vader replied glibly.

"And well we read Senator Amidala was close friends with this guy who looked just like you. He was a Je...Jedi."

Vader pursed his lips. Oh Padmé had been close friends with a Jedi alright. Except it hadn't been him. He felt his temper raise as the thought of Obi-Wan coming behind Padmé on that ship years ago came to mind. "So you saw a hologram and concluded it was me?"

"And we read that it was found Senator Amidala was pregnant when she died, there were some people who thought they were more than friends. This guy had our last name too. His name was Anakin Skywalker. Did you know him?"

Vader stared at his son stoically. He tried to never lie to the twins, and he didn't want to lie to his son. But this was dangerous information, information they had no business knowing about. "No, I knew of him. Anakin Skywalker was weak and stupid, he trusted all the wrong people and look where it got him."

"Where?"

"Dead. Anakin Skywalker is dead and his legacy with him. I don't intend to go the same way" Vader stated in such a cold voice that Luke shivered. He felt a current of feeling from his father that he had never felt before and didn't want to ever feel again.

"Okay Dad. I..I'm not really hungry. I th..think I'll just go check on Leia.."

Luke stood up slowly and walked calmly to the door. He ran as soon as he exited the room and shut the door behind him. What if Rose had been right about the pilot becoming a bad man? Luke looked at the shut door and darted to his bedroom.

* * *

><p>"You most certainly will not be going there!" Mon Mothma said determinedly.<p>

Padmé sat in a meeting at the conference table with Bail, Mon Mothma and Obi-Wan. As soon as she had them all available she had broached the topic of her going to imperial capital. She used the reasons of the base needing relocation and had even gotten Thilian to back her up. Obi-Wan and Mon were angrily retorting Padmé's plans to go the fledgling base on Imperial Capital. Bail meanwhile remained mostly silent.

Padmé pursed her lips. "That base was given to me as an assignment! I wasn't there when it started but I chose the people to operate it. If you think I am going to stand by while the Imperials squeeze them out of hiding you are mistaken." she said. "At least this way I can help oversee the moving of the base to a safer location"

"But it's not safe! Thilian himself said that the trooper sweeps have been coming pretty close." Mon said. "We cannot afford to lose you Padmé"

"Well I say we cannot afford to lose the Imperial Capital base." Padmé stated stubbornly. "We need them and we need to act now. Before the imperials realize how close they are to discovering the base"

The three were silent and Padmé knew she had struck a decided to continue. "Those people have families! We can't leave them to die when we could have prevented it" she said. " And I can take care of myself!"

A heavy silence hung in the room before Bail spoke. "It's not like she will be alone, Obi-Wan will be with her." Bail said.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not if we leave when she wants to. Master Yoda has requested my presence, he says we must discuss something disturbing he has sensed in the force" he said giving Bail a knowing look. "I am simply suggesting we wait"

"Wait my foot!" Padmé snapped. "We are talking about people's lives and safety. I'll be fine. Besides this trip would have been scheduled soon anyway" she said glaring at Obi-Wan. She didn't need a bodyguard.

"I think Padmé is right. Besides I just got intelligence that Lord Vader has been sent off to Vjun for his annual visits there. So Padmé should be fine" Mon said finally.

"Then I'll postpone my trip with Master Yoda" Obi-Wan said. "We'll leave in a few days."

"No! You don't have to come with me" Padmé said.

To say the truth she was hoping to go alone. Padmé needed to prove to herself that after all these years Anakin hadn't broken her. She could be independent. That and the fact she didn't want Obi-Wan around when she saw Linux. He still didn't know about the private investigator and she wasn't sure how he would react if he found out. "I'll stay with Owen and Elina and I am sure they can protect me if need be" she said giving Obi-Wan a smug smile. She knew she had got him now.

Obi-Wan eyes flashed and Padmé wondered if she had angered the Jedi Master "Never in a million years is that going to happen" he said. "Even if Vader won't be on the planet. The Emperor is very powerful and he will still be there. We are going together and that is final"

Padmé bristled at his tone and looked away mutinously. She didn't really care about the Emperor. A small idea began to form in her mind. The reason she was pushing to go alone was because she was hoping for something. Something both Obi-Wan and Bail had failed to give all these years despite their promises. Her children. She had given the men ample opportunity and was starting to feel they hadn't tried hard enough to find her children. She was not going to do the same. So screw the Emperor and screw Vader. She was going to do whatever she had to do to be with her children even if it killed her.

* * *

><p>Luke sat tinkering with his droid pieces. He hummed to himself happily as he tuned the droid's frequency, pausing to test it with a frequency setter periodically. Leia opened the door and entered the room carrying a tray with two glasses of chocolate milk and a platter of cookies.<p>

"Ooooh food!" Luke squealed abandoning his work and running to the center of the room where Leia set the tray down.

Leia swatted his hand away. "Don't touch it just yet. This is brainstorming food" She said going to her bedside and grabbing her datapad.

"Brainstorming food?" Luke asked sneaking a cookie crumb away. "For what?"

"Well to find out if Dad and Rose were ever married" Leia said sitting down calmly. "And maybe how we can get them back together"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "You are two kinds of crazy Leia. Rose said..."

Leia shushed her brother. "I don't believe it. Daddy's not a bad man. He might have done some bad things but you've seen him with us Luke. He loves us"

Luke was quiet for a moment. "Yeah. You're right" he said. "Okay, so where do we start?"

"With Rose, she knew the story and no one else seems to know it so she is a good place to start" Leia said sitting down comfortably.

Luke was quiet. "Yeah, but how do we find her? We just met her in the park remember?"

Leia smiled at her brother. "Owen and Elina. They know Rose, maybe we can get them to give us her contact information. So we can set up a meeting or something"

"Good idea, then we can get her to give us more details on the pilot and the senator" Luke said helping himself to a cookie and some milk. He closed his eyes as he savored the cookie. "These are good. I am surprised Tina gave them to you. She always says snacks ruin our supper"

Leia smirked. "She did say that. But Daddy's home and I told him we really wanted cookies. I gave him the sweet eyes and he melted. Atina wasn't too happy about it but she gave me the cookies after Daddy told her to"

Luke shook his head at his sister. Ever since her yelling debacle, their father had been going out of his way to please the twins in every way. He had been shaken by the argument and had spoilt them immensely by letting them stay up late, letting them eat what they want when they wanted and buying the latest toys that they didn't need but wanted. He had generally been bending to their every whim and fancy.

_Leia is right_, Luke thought to himself. _How could a man who gives cookies possibly be bad?_


	17. Bad Weather

**Author's note:** I took advantage of the free time. So this chapter, this chapter...well I hope y'all enjoy it. It was loads of fun to write. I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks to all DF's readers and reviewers. I adore hearing that you are enjoying the story or your thoughts on the story.

SO I am gonna thank all of you who took the time to share your thoughts and comments: **AngelDesaray, DVNIKKI, Lord Lelouch, david. davies .5851, Thorndsword, KiyaJinnSkywalkerKenobi, FireShifter, ShyMaryButterfly, Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay, nono, bugaboo13, ILDV, Vivss, Apprentice01, mentalkid, hateme101, ccp, random star bird, Terrible Sadness, Salsamarinara, Vic, DJ Meltdown of Ground Xero, Hermya Dawson, angie, Khalthar, oistertkh, ImmortalMyrddin, Chosen1, Bloody-Asphode11**, and of course the many of you who were guests. I had roughly five, thank you! (This is done from the last time I did this on chapter 14) Oh! Also thank you to **Loyal Knight **and **AnAngelofIego****.**

Thank you Kolodey, for your tireless efforts to improve my writing.

* * *

><p><em>Organa's Palace, Alderaan<em>

Obi-Wan sat in Padmé's small room, glancing at a datapad. "We will have to be careful" he said reviewing their agenda for the trip.

Padmé nodded. "I know" she moved to the counter and placed their empty teacups in the sink.

"No Padmé, I am serious, no funny tricks. The second we get the slightest whiff of the imperials we get on the next ship out of Imperial Capital" he said. "Do you understand?" he said as if to a child.

Padmé sighed. "Yes Obi-Wan, I understand"

She appreciated Obi-Wan for caring for her all these years. It was as if Obi-Wan felt a debt to his friend to take care of her. Padmé felt slightly guilty over her plans to look out for the twins. Obi-wan would probably faint if he found out. But she had to do it, for her own sake. "It will be fine. Try not to worry too much"

Obi-Wan gave a snort. "That's not going to happen." He said. "So we will leave in a few days. Thilian will be waiting for us at the spaceport. We'll be landing near New District. He will take us to the base and then take us to Owen and Elina's for the night. Have we gone over everything?"

Padmé glanced at her own datapad and nodded. She placed it on the table and walked to the Jedi Master. She leaned over and kissed Obi-Wan's cheek. "Obi-Wan, thank you. For everything" she said to the stunned Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan blinked clearly flustered. "Well, we will just have to make sure you come back. In one piece" he said. "We'd leave sooner but there is some pressing business I must take care of"

Padmé nodded. Obi-Wan was leaving for a nearby base for a few days. His trip was extremely convenient for Padmé. After talking with Bail, Mon and Obi-Wan a few days ago, Padmé had decided to leave on her own. She would leave for Imperial Capital as soon as Obi-Wan left for the base. "It will be fine Obi-Wan" Padmé said almost pushing Obi-Wan out the door. She was in a hurry to get him to leave for his trip so she could leave for the Imperial Capital.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest but nodded. He watched her close the door with a forlorn face, before he turned and left. He couldn't figure out why, but he had a very bad feeling about this trip.

* * *

><p>Padmé waited a few hours till she was sure Obi-Wan had left the palace. Once she was certain, she rushed to her closet and pulled out a small suitcase. Padmé packed in a hurry as she dumped turtlenecks and trousers in the the small carrier that sat on the bed.<p>

She had decided to leave as soon as she could. In a few minutes she was boarding a passenger freighter to be less conspicuous. Since she wouldn't be traveling with Obi-Wan, she decided to travel as low key as possible. She knew the Jedi master wouldn't be impressed. However, the possibility of seeing her children had her acting irrationally of late.

Earlier, she had contacted Elina and arranged for her to pick her up when she arrived. Her ship would land at a spaceport near New District and she would take a small shuttle that would take her to the area. Hopefully she would enter the exclusive suburb without a fuss.

She grabbed her perfume, make-up bag and heavy cloak off the chair. She threw the cloak over her shoulder and stuffed the make-up bag and fragile glass bottle in her small bag. She sat on her suitcase to close it and released a sigh of relief when it shut.

She looked around her room trying to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Padmé gave a slight smile as she took in the room. Maybe when she returned she would be with her children. Padmé slipped off her suitcase and grabbed it off the bed. She had to hurry if she was going to make her flight.

A few minutes later, Padmé was enshrouded in her cloak walking amongst fellow travelers. Ditching Breha and Winter earlier had not been easy. But she had done it with the help of R2 and 3PO, her beloved droids. Padmé had feigned illness and her loyal droids had kept up her cover. As she made her way to the freighter, she realized she had to move fast. She was sure it wouldn't be too long before Obi-Wan realized her presence was missing from Alderaan.

Padmé turned and hurried to the boarding gate. As she boarded the ship, she couldn't help scanning the crowd for the the lone Jedi Master. Padmé entered the ship and dropped off her suitcase at the baggage chute. She kept her cloak and small bag close to her body as she made her way to her seat. She was relieved that she had a single seat and sat down alone. To her right a family sat with their three kids. The mom was yelling at the kids in a dialect Padmé didn't understand. The woman caught Padmé staring and laughed apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I hope they are not bothering you" she said in heavily accented basic.

Padmé smiled and shook her head. "They're fine" she said a note of sadness in her voice. She looked away out her window. Why was it these days the slightest whiff or sight of children made her sad? She took a deep breath and sighed, praying this nightmare of a life she was living would soon be over.

* * *

><p>Luke looked out the window and exclaimed in excitement. "Snow! Leia, it's snowing outside" he said with grin.<p>

His sister looked up from her schoolwork. The small frown of concentration disappeared, and a grin split her face. "Finally! Maybe Daddy will take us outside to build a snowman" she said.

Luke slid off the window seat and moved back to the living room table where he and his sister were working on their various school projects. The boy sat down and tickled the chin of Oscar the lizard who sat by in a nearby cage. "I doubt he will, he's been acting kinda weird lately"

Leia shrugged. "Well maybe Atina will take us."

"I dont care about that, I just hope school gets cancelled" Luke said.

Leia snorted. "You would."

"Luke and Leia, you better get in here if you want any breakfast" Atina called from the dining room.

The twins quickly abandoned their schoolwork and headed to the dining room. Their father was already present. He sat at the head of the table as usual, a perturbed frown on his face as he read off his datapad. He looked up as the twins ran into the dining room.

"Morning Dad" Luke said as he practically flew into his chair, his hands grabbing for his fork. He knocked his plate and it tipped allowing a piece of food to drop to the floor.

A joyful bark sounded below the table. Bleu the dog appeared and demolished the food while Luke looked on in dismay. Vader shook his head in mild irritation. "Luke, what have I said about running around the house like that?"

"Sorry" Luke said still gazing in dismay as Bleu sniffed at the spot where the sausage had dropped.

Leia rolled her eyes and handed Luke her plate. "Here have mine" she said. Turning to Atina who had just entered the room carrying the juice. "Atina? We want to go visit Mr. Owen and his wife after school today" Leia announced.

Her father raised an eyebrow and continued reading off his datapad. Leia caught the look. "If that's okay with you Daddy?"

Vader shrugged. "Fine with me. I won't be in anyway. Just don't stay too long and for Force's sake don't bother them if they are busy" he said.

Luke's mouth puckered into a frown. "Are you working again?!" He demanded. "We were going to watch the podrace remember?"

Vader smiled. "Yes I know Luke, I will be back in a few weeks" he said. He gave a groan as he looked at the snow flurries outside. "Might not be able to come home because of this nasty weather" he said with a scowl.

Luke's face drooped with sadness. "Figures, you leave when we have the worst weather ever. I was hoping you'd be snowed in" He mumbled.

Vader cast his son a look and remained silent. It couldn't be helped. He had to go to Vjun. Vader knew disobedience was not an option. Not this time anyway.

* * *

><p>Later Luke and Leia walked ahead of Atina in their warm coats. Atina, shuffled behind them puffing into her scarf. Ahead, beside and behind the twins a total of six troopers escorted them. "Twins, must we trek in the cold to visit Mr Owen?" she complained. "I'm sure they don't need a batch of my cookies just yet"<p>

Leia carried the bag of fresh assorted cookies. "Atina, you know how Ms. Elina loves them for her refreshments table. Besides Daddy said we could go"

Atina growled. "If I recall he said "fine with me". That is not the same thing. He simply didn't care what you two knuckleheads did for the day"

"Ooh Atina you insulted!" Luke said with a grin kicking at the snow on the pavements.

Leia shook her head and followed her brother. Atina was relieved when they entered the warm building. They took the stairs up to warm themselves. Finally, they reached the Kenobi's office. Even though it was the weekend it wasn't uncommon to find Owen and Elina at the office. Luke barged into the office while Atina and the troopers waited outside. Elina sat at her desk and jumped up startled and put her hand to her heart.

"Luke Skywalker! You frightened me" she said. "How are you two darlings?" she asked as Leia and Luke rushed to her desk.

"We're great. We've come to bribe you" Leia confessed placing the bag of cookies on the table.

Elina raised her eyebrows and laughed as she took the cookies. "Oh is that right? Well then I better not eat any till I know what you require of me"

"Just some information" Luke said casually.

Elina smiled. "If this is about that cute little red haired girl from the other day Luke, I can't reveal patient information" she teased.

Luke blushed furiously and Leia smirked at him. "No! This is about Rose. She is not your patient is she?" He asked concerned.

"Oh. Well no she is not." Elina felt a bit frightened. Why did the twins want to know about Padmé just as she was on her way? "What about Rose?"

"Well, we need to get in touch with her, you see she inspired us to do a school project. But we can't tell you about it cause its a secret, at least till presentation day at school" Luke said.

Leia watched her brother in amusement. Luke was good at convincing adults with his half-truths. "So can you tell us how to contact her?" she asked.

Elina felt relief flow through her. The twins meant no harm and were just enamored with Padmé, probably wanted her advice on something. "Well, as a matter of fact, she will be coming here soon and I know she would love to see you. She was supposed to be here in a few days. I just confirmed with her friend that they will be leaving in two days."

Elina thought a while before saying "So maybe you can come over when she comes, before dinner? At our place?"

Luke and Leia nodded enthusiastically. "That would be awesome. Thanks Lina. Where will she be landing?" Leia said with a smile.

Elina laughed. "I believe she will land at the Northern Spaceport. It's not far from here."

"Will she have to use the gates into New district?" Luke asked.

Elina nodded and opened the bag of cookies before taking a bite of one. "These are good, tell Atina thank you as always" she said.

The twins nodded and said bye. Atina stood outside talking to one of the trooper guards. She smiled when the twins exited the office. "Got what you wanted munchsters?" she asked.

The twins nodded. "Can we go to the shuttle station?" Leia asked. "I want to see the roster for incoming guests. Maybe we can surprise Rose there when she arrives"

Atina rolled her eyes and beckoned to the troopers as she said. "Alright, but we are calling our chauffeur service for that!"

* * *

><p>Vader marched through the Emperor's palace annoyed. The weather had taken a nasty turn and he had just been on his way to leave for Vjun. As he was about to leave, his master's annoying voice had summoned him, claiming it was a matter of utmost importance. And so Vader had exited his personal ship and flown in his speeder like a good little apprentice to his master's lair. Vader was getting increasingly angered by his master's endless requests. He couldn't wait for the day when he beheaded the old man once and for all. The very thought gave him a feeling akin to happiness.<p>

Slowing his pace as he entered Sidious' throne room. He knelt before his Master. "Your bidding my master"

Sidious walked towards Vader and began to circle him. "Lord Vader, I have news on Black Rose. Just as well, I am growing impatient of this woman thinking she can intimidate me!"

Vader wondered if the incessant circling was to meant to remind him of a gundark and its prey. He yawned slightly as his eyes followed Sidious's cloaked feet. Sidious oblivious of his apprentice's boredom began to speak loudly. "ME! the POWERFUL EMPEROR OF THE..."

"My master? You received news on Black Rose?" reminded Vader.

Sidious disregarded Vader's rude interruption. "I have just received news that she will be travelling in a few days. The spy Zed informed us of the development"

"The mysterious Black Rose will be visiting my capital again. Now what shall we do about it?" he said in a cunning voice. Vader had a feeling whatever was going on his master's mind was extremely unpleasant. Sidious stopped in front of a window and rubbed his scaly yellow hands together in glee. "I want you on the planet when she comes! In fact, you will find her and be in disguise..."

Vader's head snapped up. "My master?" Surely his master didn't expect him to...to mingle with the citizens of Imperial Capital?

"Yes, when she is skulking around the city. Remember how she stopped to eat at some dirty diner in Caamas? Well I am sure she will do it again and you must catch her..."

"Master?" Vader was shocked. His master did expect him to mingle with the people of Imperial Capital. Vader would much rather storm the rebel base and capture the entire group of troublemakers.

"Yes, you must use the force. Blend in among the people. Be just another face in the city." Sidious said. "I trust no one else, Lord Vader. I tire of this woman slipping through our grasp like the worm she is."

"My master, I truly do think storming the base would be a better option. In fact, making an example of Black Rose would be ideal"

"No, you must find her personally. She is a founder of the Alliance, she will be very useful in divulging their secrets. Lure her, seduce her, do whatever it takes to get her. " Sidious replied.

Vader knew his master was now just being malicious. It was final, his master had lost his mind. Sidious' hoarse voice brought him back to the present "Are you concerned that you cannot do it Lord Vader? I know your looks can be very persuasive. Need I bring up Duchess Leone?"

Vader shuddered at the thought of the slimy blonde woman who had thrown herself all over him with her large doting eyes and intrusion of his personal space. "I...I...Surely a woman such as Black Rose is above such whims?"

"On the contrary Lord Vader, all women like to be appreciated by a handsome man. Mmm Lord Vader?" Sidious replied mischievously.

Vader gulped. There was no doubt. The old man was crazy and now he was taking out his madness on him!

"My master, I don't think..."

"Are you questioning me Lord Vader?!" Sidious suddenly bellowed and released a torrent of lightning on his apprentice for his disobedience.

Vader bit in his rage and pain while kept his shoulders squared proudly. "No my master" he said breathlessly making sure it was in a more subservient tone.

"Well then, its settled. She must think she is safe, and that we are clueless. You must appear to be an innocent bystander. We already know the location of the base. Hang around there" Sidious said. He noticed the dubious look on Vader's face. He continued. "But if you doubt your flirting abilities, why don't you have a talk with Prince Xizor? I am sure he can give you pointers and you can reproduce his serum with the force"

Vader nearly vomited. He swallowed deeply and was glad he stared at the ground. As if he hadn't already been ridiculously insulted with his master's request, his stupid master added salt to injury by wanting him to associate with..with...Vader couldn't even call the vile man to mind without wanting to empty his stomach.

"Are you alright Lord Vader?" Sidious' annoying raspy voice interrupted his thoughts.

Vader cleared his throat. _Not as good as if you were dead,_ he thought. Out loud he said "Yes my master."

"Then you know what you must do?"

"Yes my master"

"Good"

Vader stood up and left the room in silence. He walked through the halls allowing his rage to fester within him. How dare his master do this him!

A page boy carrying an ice filled carafe was hurrying along in Vader's path. He didn't spot the dark lord and slammed right into him drenching Vader in ice cold water. Vader felt something flip inside and he grabbed the apologizing youth by the neck and squeezed hard till the boy's eyes popped and he threw him against the wall ignoring the crack of bones that sounded in his wake.

The sound of the boy's bones cracking echoed in Vader's head. _He didn't feel it anyway. _Vader reasoned as he jumped into his speeder. He banged the control panel and muttered oaths. Vader glanced at the weak winter sun and sighed. His master was responsible for ruining a fine morning. He started his speeder and began to calm himself as he flew home. He knew it was no use showing up angry to the twins.

* * *

><p>Padmé clasped her suitcase as she moved down the small aisle slowly. The line to exit the ship was long and slow. Padmé hated flying like this and was grateful she didn't have to do it often. She preferred having her own personal ship at her call. She took a breath as she neared the exit door feeling the cool stiff breeze of Imperial Capital.<p>

She wasn't surprised it was so cold. Initially, it seemed as if the bad weather would ruin her plans to get to New District. However, the shuttle she chose to fly in had managed to squeeze in one last trip to the exclusive area. She wrapped her knit scarf around her neck and sincerely hoped Elina was out there waiting for her. After enduring the coldness of outer-space, she was more than ready for a warm toasty room.

She finally exited the ship and hurried down the ramp. The passengers were funneled into a tiny tunnel taking them either to the arrivals lobby or to connecting flights. Padmé hurried through the crowd to where the shuttles were. After boarding it along with a few other people, she watched out the window as shuttle flew through Imperial Capital. As they approached New District the weather grew increasingly worse.

Finally, the shuttle came to a stop near the large platform outside New District. Padmé disembarked and hurried through flickering snow into the small building that led to the entry gates. She found herself in a large room where people milled around lost. Padmé wondered why the building was so crowded when she realized the building was being used as shelter due to the bad weather.

Padmé moved to the gates and held her breath, she hoped she passed without an incident. She pulled out her false imperial id and moved along the long que. Finally her turn came and she once again faced a cold emotionless trooper. "ID"

Padmé nervously handed it over. The trooper ran it through his machinery and it beeped. He handed back her ID. "You're not cleared for entry" he said. "Next"

Padmé blinked at him in confusion. "Wait I don't understand, I…" she had contacted Elina. She should be on the approved list.

"Miss, please get out of the way. If you know someone in New District, you can contact them and let them know you're here" The trooper said coldly.

Padmé found herself being pushed aside by the man behind her and she moved back into the confusion. She moved to a spot where she could get out her comlink to get in contact with Elina. She tried to contact Elina and Owen but the weather was messing with the communications and she failed to get through. Forty five minutes later, Padmé was frantic, tired and on the verge of tears. She stood lost in the madness of the New District entry building. More people had poured in seeking shelter from the winter storm outside. She turned around trying to locate a service desk or communication station.

A large alien bumped her and glared at her. "Get out of the way princess!" he spat.

Padmé didn't realize she stood in front of a personnel door and hurried to step aside. However, the encounter was enough to send a tear falling down her cheek. She moved towards the nearby service desk to see if she could at least get a message to Owen and Elina's. The line in front of the desk was long and Padmé shuffled from foot to foot while waiting. Her bags felt heavy after being held for so long. Padmé wanted to scream. She should have never made this trip on her own, she should have waited and come with Obi-Wan. She wasn't ready to do this on her own. Padmé felt the tears blur her vision and looked down so no one would see her cry.

"Angel!" An excited yell sounded. Padmé looked up in shock. The grinning face of Luke bounded towards her from the crowd.

"Luke?" she asked not daring to believe her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" He asked crashing into her and giving her a huge hug. "You're supposed to be here in a few days. Ms. Elina said so"

Padmé blinked. They were expecting her in a few days? No wonder her name hadn't shown up as approved. "Oh? Why? I don't understand" she said slightly confused.

"She said you and your friend were gonna be here in a few days..." Luke stopped and studied her face in horror. "You're crying!" he said his child eyes filled with worry. "Are you okay?"

Padmé half laughed half cried. "I am fine now. What are you doing here?"

"Leia and I heard you were coming so we were coming to check the roster to see what day you were approved for. We wanted to surprise you when you arrived. I guess we did" He looked around for his sister. "Do you want to come with us? We can take you to Mr. Owen's if you like"

Padmé nodded in relief. "Would you?"

"Of course. Come on" Luke slipped his hand in hers and dragged her through the crowd. Padmé marveled at his sense of direction. He led her to where Leia and Atina stood ahead at the service desk listening to the droid ramble on. "Leia! I found her!" Luke yelled excitedly.

His sister turned and her eyes widened. She smiled and dragged Atina away from the bumbling droid. "What happened?" Leia asked.

"It seems there was a mix-up on my arrival date." Padmé said. "Luke found me lost and confused. He is quite my hero" she said patting the boy's shoulder.

Luke flushed slightly. Leia stepped forward and hugged Padmé, shocking her for the second time that day. The twins seemed so familiar with her. She wondered why. She hugged the little girl back and relished the moment. Is this what it would feel like to come home to her twins?

"It's nice to see you." Leia said.

"We are going to give her ride to Mr. Owen's. If that's okay Atina" Luke said to his nanny.

Atina nodded. "Of course. You poor thing, stuck out in this madness. Come here" Atina gave Padmé a hug and took her bags. She guided her through the crowds to the exit. Leia clutched Padmé's hand and smiled up at her.

Padmé felt oddly at home with kids and their caring nanny. Outside the snow showers had become a wild storm with a crazy howling wind. Padmé cowered against Atina and was relieved when a large comfortable luxury speeder drew up near the landing bay.

Inside a trooper sat at controls. Padmé took a breath of relief and got in, casting him a nervous look. The twins slipped in beside her and Atina sat upfront with the trooper. Padmé was relieved that trooper didn't say anything to Atina or her.

As he flew through the dangerous conditions, he said something to Atina and she nodded and said something back. Padmé tried to hear but decided not to bother. However, she did notice the landscape outside didn't quite look the same as when she came last to visit the Kenobi's. Maybe it was because of the storm outside. Or maybe the trooper had chosen to use a different route to Owen and Elina's. Soon they landed at one of tall skyscrapers in New District. Padmé stepped out into the hangar looking around her. This definitely did not look like the apartment building Owen stayed in.

"Is this one of the Imperial buildings?" she asked.

"Imperial I." Atina replied. "I'm sorry, you'll probably have to stay with us for a minute. The weather is really bad and Owen and Elina live to the south where it's pretty bad at the moment. Do you mind?"

Padmé shook her head. She was just relieved to be in New District. Besides hadn't Obi-Wan said that New District wasn't as closely monitored by the imperials? "Oh. How come we didn't have to go through the admission gates?"

Luke and Leia giggled. "That's for common people. Dad would flip if he had to do that or we had to for that matter" Luke said. "We don't do that stuff."

Padmé raised an eyebrow. The twins father must really be someone important in the Imperial ranks. She felt slightly nervous. She was a rebel leader going straight into an Imperial gundark nest. She consoled herself that the twin's father took his children for therapy to Owen and Elina, who were rebels, so she would be okay. She could do this.

Atina took Padmé's bags again and led the way to the turbolift. Padmé watched as the snow slammed against the glass of the turbolift mirroring the nervous roils in her stomach.

"Do you think Dad got stuck in the storm?" Luke asked hopefully.

Atina shrugged."Probably not. That man could fly through hell."

"Great" Luke said sadly. Atina gave a sympathetic smile and roughed the little boy's hair.

Padmé felt for Luke but was relieved to hear that the twin's father wasn't home. The turbolift opened into a large loft penthouse. It was tastefully decorated in navy blues and greys with sand colored wallpaper.

Padmé raised her eyebrows as she took it all in. Exactly how rich was the twins' father? She didn't think an imperial officer made that much. This man had to be some big shot. Padmé stepped in taking in the holograms on the wall opposite the turbolift. There were several of twins, none of their father or any man. Atina was in some of them. But it was clear to see Luke and Leia were the stars of the house.

An excited yowl sounded from somewhere in the house and a strange looking creature bounded straight for Padmé. The dog jumped on her and pushed her to the floor. Padmé squealed as the dog proceeded to lick her face.

"Bleu! Stop that" Leia tried to pull the furry creature away from Padmé who lay on the floor. The dog was an odd mixture of grey, with black spots and tan paws and snout.

"Atina is that you?" A deep voice called from another room.

Atina eyebrows raised and she looked worried. "Uh yes, Milord" she turned to the twins and mouthed "What is he doing here?"

"Dad? You're home?!" Luke eyes sparkled with obvious pleasure. "Come help us with Bleu"

A tall man walked in the room. Padmé eyes widened in horror as she recognized the familiar figure, her mind began to whirl. _This is impossible_, she thought as she tried to keep Bleu's curious snout from her face.

"Bleu! Sit!" The apparition before her said in a commanding familiar voice. The dog whined and hurried off Padmé and sat meekly in front of his master.

Padmé stood up weakly and Atina reached out to steady her. The room stood frozen in time as the twins father stared at her as if he were seeing a ghost.

"Padmé?" he finally managed in a choked voice.

Padmé let out a gasp as a realization hit her. She felt her legs give way beneath her. As she began to fall, strong arms caught her.

Her last image was of her estranged husband hovering over her.


	18. Winter Storm

**Author's note: *If you can't wait to read the next chapter, skip my rambling note and come read it after. (Or not, lol)* **

Hey everyone, I am back! Lol, no, I am not especially cruel. You see in order to write the last chapter I had to already have the next one. It was actually one big thing and I split it as conveniently as possible. So here you go.

Well you guys were really happy about the last chapter. I am glad, it took long enough! So most of you are sure Padme is doomed to live with Vader now. Hmmm, interesting. Anyway I like playing with possibilities. I tried to make the characters as realistic as possible. I hope I didn't just make them yell like maniacs, lol.

Thanks for everyone who read and especial thanks to those who reviewed. You gave me the fuzzy feeling. Reading a chapter over and over in editing steals the excitement. Anyway glad you found it interesting.

Thanks to Kolodey, whom I am glad is a friend or else I am sure my demands would be sent to the spam box.

* * *

><p>Padmé came to and stared at the white ceiling above her. She was aware of another presence in the room and hurriedly shut her eyes. It was a nightmare. It had to be. She wasn't in Anakin's house. No Vader's. This man was not her husband.<p>

_But how was this possible? What about Luke and Leia? Had Vader adopted the children...? Why would he even do that? Were the twins his? Was he married...?_

Padme gave her head a small shake and she opened her eyes and sat up slowly. She found herself in a large living room that overlooked New District's park. Outside, it was dark and the snow storm continued to rage on. The room was illuminated by soft yellow lamps that made the room look warm and welcoming. If only that was the truth.

Standing opposite the couch she lay on, was the last person she wanted to see at the moment. Vader's gaze bore into her. Padmé was amazed at how he much he had changed in the years they had been apart. For instance, the worry lines that had plagued her younger husband were gone and instead a furious expression sat on his face. His blue eyes looked odd in color and they blazed with obvious anger. His arms were folded across his chest and he stood with his shoulders squared. Padme couldn't help but feel he was preparing for battle. Their eyes met briefly. Behind the anger in Vader's eyes, was something that made Padme look away quickly. It was keen hurt and betrayal.

Padmé sighed heavily as her heart fell. How exactly did one speak to their estranged spouse? Their evil spouse for that matter. The last time they had been together Anakin had choked her, putting her and their children in danger. At the thought of that, Padmé felt her own righteous anger blaze up. No, she wouldn't feel guilty. This was his fault. She would not cower and allow him to make her feel bad. She glared back stonily at Vader. She was hoping he'd speak first and his first words had better be an apology.

After several minutes of silence Padmé spoke. "Aren't you going to say anything?" she said tired of the glaring at her husband.

"What is there to say?" Vader said harshly as the air in the room began to electrify. "That my wife decided to hide from me all this time? That she made me think I killed her all these years?" Padmé could hear the fury dripping from his voice. Mingled with the fury was raw pain.

Padmé took a breath. "Ani..."

"Don't call me that! You let me think you were dead all this time! That I murdered you!" Vader exploded. "Do you have any idea what you have put me through?!" his voice was hoarse and cracked.

Padmé winced as he began to bellow. Anakin had never raised his voice at her, except once. However, she felt her own indignant feelings rise inside her. He was making himself out to be the victim, when he had clearly hurt and betrayed her. "What I put you through?! You..YOU..You put me through hell Anakin!" she yelled. "You killed me that day. I never thought the man that I...that I loved...would ever raise his hand against me. You choked me Anakin, how could you? How could you…?" Padme began to sob.

Vader seethed. "Don't you dare! Don't DARE turn this on me! You turned against me, you chose HIM over me! You brought him to kill me!"

"That's not true! I would never...Anakin I swear" Padme hated how he was making her feel. Like this was all her fault. "You never even gave me a chance to explain! Obi-Wan..."

"Stop! I will not hear anything that has to do with that spawn." Vader spat as he held up his hand in rage. "Do you think I'm stupid? Naive? You were with him, you let him poison you! You believed him over me!

"Anakin, you're not letting me finish!" Padme said desperately trying to be heard.

"I'm sick of your lies!" Vader retorted in low tone. "You took my trust and you broke it"

She had taken from him? He had stolen the most important thing from her. Her life, her dreams, most importantly her children. "I took your trust?! You took my children from me!"

"Children?" Vader sputtered.

"Yes. I live everyday without my children because of what you did and its all your fault! So yes I am dead!" Padme almost winced at the heavy accusatory tone in her voice mingled with raw pain "Cause you took my babies from me and you chose this over me! I begged you, Anakin I begged you..." Padmé burst into tears and she sobbed helplessly.

Vader was stunned. He stared at Padmé awkwardly and finally he walked to Padmé and stood in front of her. "Please stop crying" he said in strangled whisper.

Padmé was surprised he didn't touch her. She figured even he knew he no longer had the right to do that.

"Why should I? I have held these tears in for so long and you are the cause of all my pain! It's all YOU!"

* * *

><p>Atina tapped her fingers across the shiny kitchen countertop. A few minutes ago, loud yells erupted from the upstairs living room. Atina had been expecting the drama as soon as she had realized her boss knew the woman.<p>

The look on her boss' face when he had seen Rose, or Padme as he called her spoke volumes. It spoke of a love lost and pure betrayal. She had never seen Lord Vader show so much emotion. When the young woman had passed out, Vader had instantly caught her and carried her upstairs. His glare warned everyone to keep from following him and to stay out of the room.

Luke and Leia listened to the argument above with wide sacred eyes. They had never witnessed their father yell at anyone. Vader was very careful about his behavior around the twins. It was something Atina had always appreciated about him. As the yells upstairs got louder, Atina could make out the angry words. She frowned and moved to close the door. The twins had no business hearing about their father's dysfunctional lovelife.

Turning to the twins she said. "I'll be right back. Don't move!" she said as she shut the kitchen door behind her.

She took a steadying breath and hurried to the upstairs living room and yanked the door open. Atina paused at the door as she gauged the mood in the room. Her employer stood facing the woman named Padme. His expression was unreadable, but Atina got the sense that he was flabbergasted as Padme sat clutching her knees crying. The young woman's sobs were so heartbreaking they caused the caring Atina to rush to her side.

Atina put her arms around Padmé, who in turn, turned to sob into her shoulder. Atina patted her shoulder and turned to face the scowling Vader.

"Enough of this!" She hissed at her employer. "Luke and Leia are frightened to death and clearly this dredging up of the past isn't working"

"Atina stay out of this!" Vader barked.

Atina shook her head "I will not! I won't have you frightening those children or yelling at her! So help me if you have to kill me to do it" Atina said squaring her shoulder and looking Vader directly in the eye.

Vader glowered at Atina and his eyes which had been swirling with specks of yellow finally made the turn to full angry yellow. Atina thought the sithlord was actually going to kill her. But he shocked her by spinning round and leaving the room. He walked out so fast he knocked a vase off a side table.

Atina held Padmé while she continued to cry. Her sobs were so violent they racked her entire body. Finally, she sat up and wiped her face, her eyes bright red. "Where is he?" she asked.

Atina shrugged. "I have no idea. I wouldn't look for him now, he is in a dangerous mood" she said watching the door the angry dark lord had left through earlier.

Padmé stood up slowly. "It's fine. He won't hurt me. He did once, but I don't think he has it in him to do it again"

Atina watched Padme stand and sighed. She opened the door and the small woman stepped out. The twins appeared shortly after she left. "Where is Rose...? I mean Ms. Padmé?" Luke asked worriedly.

Atina shrugged. "Looking for your Dad" she looked at the twins sharply. While they had seemed scared at Rose fainting and the yelling, they didn't seem shocked of Rose or Padme's relationship to their father.

"Did you two know of any this?" Atina asked.

They nodded quietly. "We found out a couple of weeks ago" Leia said quietly "We didn't think they had so much...well...baggage"

Atina shook her head, "What have I told you two about meddling?" She said as she waited for the next explosions to erupt.

* * *

><p>Padmé walked through the large penthouse looking for Vader. So, this was how he used his power and endless funds, to live in a expensively furnished penthouse. The house was beautiful in terms of decor and design. But Padme couldn't help the feeling that the beautiful dwelling could very well be a prison.<p>

After failing to locate Vader anywhere in the house, Padmé decided to try the last bedroom in the penthouse. She discovered it was twins room. True enough, Vader stood in the room facing the window. Padme took a deep breath and stepped into the room. She knew her husband knew she had stepped into the room because he visibly stiffened.

"I've been looking for you" she said quietly. Padmé was shocked at her own bravery, how many women walked up to the man that had tried to kill them?

"Oh, I'm sure you were" Came the sarcastic reply.

"Ani..."

"Don't call me that" He said in a deathly low tone.

Padmé shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Anakin"

She would not call him Vader, there was still good in him she knew there was. The twins were proof of it. They were healthy, well cared for and loved. That couldn't be an accident.

"I have hidden all those years because I can't forgive you. I can't forgive you for killing all those people, for leaving me, for turning on your friends, Obi-Wan..."

Vader spun around angrily. "DO NOT speak of that traitor in my presence! How dare you! You can't forgive me?! I never left you, you left me! And I did all of it for you! I did it to save you!" He yelled in accusing tone.

"But Anakin you sold yourself! Look at you, you've become a monster!" she retorted. "I didn't ask you to do that!"

Vader raised an eyebrow. "A monster huh?" He scoffed in derision "But it worked didn't it? The monster saved you. You're still alive when you should have been dead."

Padme was silent and looked down at her feet. Vader shook his head in disbelief "I loved you Padmé...No I love you, and I would do it all over again if I had to"

Padmé eyes smarted, she looked at her husband and got the feeling none of her words had gotten through to him. "Well I don't love you that much!" she said angrily, hoping to get through to him.

Padmé saw something flicker in Vader's cold eyes and she knew she had struck a chord. Padmé stared at him in a steely manner. Padmé didn't actually know how deeply she had hurt Vader. She had reached a sensitive spot in his hardened heart and pierced straight through. The intense pain he felt right now was akin to the one he felt when the Emperor told him of her death, yet tripled. He took a step back.

"I see" he said in quiet voice.

Vader felt the sudden need to get out of the house. His emotions were at a dangerous level and he feared what he might do to Padme or the twins. He stalked past her and out the door.

The twins and Atina jumped aside from where they stood outside the door, shocked . Vader ignored them and ran down the stairs, heading for the garage. Atina and the twins followed behind him.

"Milord, where you going?" Atina asked worried the crazy man was thinking of flying in this deplorable weather.

"Anywhere but here" Vader said grabbing his cloak.

"Daddy!" Leia shrieked following him into the garage. "You can't leave us!"

"Dad, you can't go out there!" Luke pleaded.

Padmé ran out behind the others and watched as Vader jumped into his speeder and flew off into the flurried storm. As he left, a small force field pulled up that essentially locked Padme, the twins and Atina in.

Luke and Leia stared in shock as the speeder disappeared in the white snow. Leia's eyes filled with tears and she burst out. "This is all our fault, Luke. All our fault. Now Daddy's going to die" She wailed.

Padmé felt guilty for her harsh words earlier and lowered her head. Atina moved to hug the little girl but Leia pushed her aside and ran up the stairs into the house. Luke followed his sister after staring at the wild storm for a moment.

Atina stood at the foot of the stairs, her face a mixture of so many emotions that it was contorted. Padmé's heart clenched and she hugged herself and looked out at the storm. She had just caused the twins to lose their father. Furthermore, she taken whatever chance for change Anakin had and thrown it out the window. "What have I done?" she asked.

Atina came to her and rubbed her shoulders. "Come inside. He'll be back. Just you wait" she said. "He will. He always comes back"

Padmé stared out to the storm and hoped, no she prayed he would.

* * *

><p>It was midnight, and Padmé stood in the upstairs living room looking out at the wild storm outside. Vader had been gone for hours and the twins had both had meltdowns in his absence. Finally, Atina had managed to calm them and put them to bed. Padmé had heard Leia crying herself to sleep and had sat with the twins till they fell asleep.<p>

Now she stood worried, waiting for Anakin. Again. Why was she always the one waiting for him in worry? Why did she even care? _Because you still love him, _an irksome voice said in her head.

Atina had been very comforting and helpful. She had asked their guarding troopers to try and track Lord Vader's speeder, with no success. Vader had also activated a security system only he could unlock, leaving all them trapped inside the penthouse. Even the turbolift had been sealed off. Padmé sighed and turned away from the window. Right now, escaping was the furthest thing from her mind. Atina stepped in and turned off the main lights leaving the softer table lamps on.

"Are you coming to bed? You could sleep in his Lordship's room. He rarely sleeps in there anyway" she said.

Padmé's mind balked at the thought of sleeping in Vader's bed. But she had traveled a long way in uncomfortable quarters and gone through a load of emotional trauma in a couple of hours. She was exhausted, and right now any bed sounded good. She slowly nodded and followed Atina up the stairs.

Atina led her to the room and turned on the light. The room was large and had dark walls. The room boasted an impressive view of Imperial Capital and a large king sized bed. Apart from a bedside chrono on the bedside table, the room was bare of anything personal. Padmé peeped in the closet and saw a small clothing collection. Most of the clothes were black or dark in color. Anakin hadn't changed much.

Atina brought her bag up and pointed to the adjoining fresher. "You can shower if you like." she said as she placed the bag on the floor. She took in Padmé's hunched shoulders. "It's not your fault you know. He knew better than go out in that storm."

Padmé felt tears drop down her cheek and she bit her lip. "I should have known better… he's always been like that, impulsive. And I was just being spiteful when I said I didn't love him and now… Oh gods" She put her hands to her face as she began to cry.

Atina stared at her shock. Was it possible the woman was still in love with Lord Vader? Atina shook her head in disbelief. "Milady, stop beating yourself up," she said firmly

"Now I suggest the pulse setting on that shower. It's the best shower in the house, even I sneak in to use it" she said ushering Padmé into the fresher.

Padmé sighed as Atina left and got together her bath stuff. The shower was an amazing thing, true to Atina's word. She came out feeling relaxed and ready to sleep.

Padmé dressed in her nightdress and climbed into the large bed. It was so huge and empty. Padmé hugged herself and tried to sleep. But she couldn't. It wasn't that the bed was uncomfortable, because it was pure luxury.

However, Padmé kept having horrors of Vader's speeder careening into a building or worse. Finally, she sat up and simply sat waiting. A sound downstairs jolted her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the chrono, _0200_ in the morning. She put her feet to the carpeted floor and pattered out of the room.

Downstairs, the door leading to the garage opened and Vader walked in. Padmé immediately noticed something was wrong. He limped slightly and clutched at the wall for support.

"Ani?" she called out in a panicked voice. She hurried to his side but Vader shunned her help.

"What happened?" she asked walking helplessly beside him.

"Speeder wreck." he muttered.

He made his way to his room and began to tug at his shirt. Padmé moved to help him but Vader pushed her hands away. "No! Let me help you" Padmé said.

He stared at her weakly for a moment before he sighed and let her remove the clothing. Padme stared in shock at when she saw Vader's arms. It seemed her husband had had some medical work done. His familiar cybernetic arm was gone. And though Obi-Wan had never been specific about what injuries Anakin had incurred at Mustafar, he had mentioned they were pretty bad.

However, the man before her showed no signs of serious injury. His arms were skin and bruised. Seeing the bruises Padme turned her attention to his other wounds. Padmé's face creased with worry at the bloody open wounds on his back. Fortunately none of them looked fatal.

"Come" she said dragging him to the fresher.

Vader grimaced as he leaned over the sink. Padmé noticed he was bleeding from his nose and shook her head.

"Were you trying to get killed?" she asked as she ran water over a facecloth. She wiped at his back and Vader gave a growl and pushed her away.

"No!" he growled.

"Stop moving! You did this to yourself," Padmé said impatiently. "Now keep still unless you want these wounds to go septic"

He glared at her and clutched the sides of the sink till Padmé worried he would break it. Padmé cleaned the back wounds. His chest didn't require as much attention as it was mostly covered with bruises. Padmé rinsed the cloth and began to dab at his nose. The cloth turned a reddish color. Vader grimaced but he didn't move. Padmé was surprised that he didn't give much trouble when she applied the antiseptic. After that, she placed bacta patches on the wounds and moved to the sink to wash her hands.

"There, I'm all done" she said turning around. Padmé gulped, Vader's face was inches from hers. She hadn't been so close to a man in a while and she felt slightly panicked.

Vader seemed to pick up on her duress and stepped back. "So I figured" he said in an odd tone.

Padmé tried to read him but he looked away. She decided to make a quick exit and slipped past him. Vader reached a hand out and caught her arm. Padmé froze in fear.

"Padmé..."

"Yes?" she asked not daring to turn around.

"Thank you" he said softly.

Padme nearly laughed. It seemed so ironic that a sithlord , more importantly an imperial one was saying 'thank you' and to a rebel leader. She looked around at him and realized he meant it.

"You're welcome." she said.

They left the fresher together and entered the bedroom. Vader took in the rumpled bed and Padmé wondered about the sleeping arrangements now that he was home. "Atina said I could sleep in here. I'll just get my stuff out" she said moving to her bag.

Vader shook his head and moved to the closet. "No...I don't sleep much anyway."

"But you're hurt"

Vader waved a hand. "It's nothing just a few cuts and bruises." It was quiet for a while and Vader broke the silence. "I'll go check on Luke and Leia" he said dragging a shirt out of the closet. He slipped it on and walked out the room.

Padmé stood watching as he left before she followed him. She found him standing between the twins beds. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Leia's forehead. He then placed a careful hand on her head and Padmé noticed the puckered frown on Leia's face fade. He turned to Luke and knelt beside him.

"They're having nightmares" he explained quietly. Padmé wondered when he had sensed her presence in the room. She watched him place his hand on Luke's forehead and watched as the boy's fitful slumber calmed. Vader held Luke's soft head to his lips and sighed. He finally stood up and watched them both.

"They're lovely children" Padmé said.

Vader nodded. "That was the plan. I knew you would love them..." he said in a melancholy tone. He released a breath.

Padme brow flickered in confusion. "I would love them? I...Anakin did you adopt Luke and Leia?" she asked.

Vader looked up and nodded. "Yes, almost four years ago. I don't know what prompted me to do it… but I dont regret it"

Padme's brain began screaming questions at her as another realization dawned on her. "Where did you adopt them from?"

Vader frowned and shook his head. "That's not important. Goodnight Padmé" he said moving past her.

He walked down the hallway and disappeared. Padmé retreated to his bedroom and decided to give sleep another try. She tossed and turned for a few minutes before she felt the overwhelming need to close her eyes. She slipped into a deep pleasant sleep, finding sleep easier now that she wasn't worried.

She barely felt the feathery touch to her forehead nor noticed the presence by her bedside.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan was in a panic, Padmé was gone. A day after he had arrived at the rebel base, he had received a panicked call from Breha Organa. Padme was missing, she had said she was sick and R2-D2 and C-3PO had been tending to her. However, after the second day of not seeing Padme, Breha had decided to check on her, only to discover Padme's bedroom empty. Upon questioning the droids, 3PO had revealed that Padme had left for Imperial Capital the day of Obi-Wan's departure.<p>

She had taken a passenger freighter and landed at Northern Spaceport and that's where she completely disappeared. Obi-Wan wondered how he could be so stupid. He had no idea what would prompt Padme to do something so irrational. Whatever it was it had to be big, to make her do what she had. Things that had began to bother him these past days now made sense. Such as the fact Elina had called him to confirm their arrival date and the one she mentioned was several days early. Obi-Wan had simply brushed it off as a miscommunication.

Or the fact of how eager Padme had been to get him out of the Organa's palace so he could go attend to business and leave her alone. Obi-Wan wondered why the force had not been more clear in its warnings.

Bail was not much better than Obi-Wan when it came to anxiety. Together they had managed to trace her ship to Imperial Capital. But from there they had no clue where to proceed.

Elina was frantic and as she pointed out that Padme had every intention to come stay with them. Unfortunately, she and Owen were stuck inside their apartment till the weather cleared up.

Meanwhile, Owen had other members of the Alliance scour the city as best as possible but to no avail. Padmé was well and truly swallowed by the great big city planet. _Drat that weather_ the harried Jedi Master thought. He was on his way to the Imperial Capital to personally look for her himself.

_Oh Padmé, where are you?_ he wondered.


	19. Brooding

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! I feel like its been a month since I last updated. Lol, it's this nasty weather, I am bored out of my mind! Anyway, here's the next chapter. This mostly deals with Vader's reaction. I thank everyone who reviewed and those who read in silence. As for the reviewers I'll list y'all out in the next chapter. I hope everyone enjoys this one!

Dear Kolodey, you're a trooper.

* * *

><p>Vader sat in his office quietly contemplating the previous day's events. The Dark Lord was conflicted and confused.<p>

When he had flown out into the storm after his argument with Padmé, he had been fine. He had waited out the worst of the storm parked on the roof of a nearby building rehashing the past. He had spent the time trying to answer the same questions resurfacing in his mind over and over again.

Had his master, the Emperor, known Padmé was alive? Had he purposefully lied to Vader? Vader could very much imagine his master doing so, though he couldn't see for what reason. The man was evil and he had lied to Vader so many times. He had lied about Vader's injuries, telling him they were irreparable. He lied about Vader being all powerful. Of course, Vader was powerful but his role as Sidious' faithful stooge didn't differ much from his days as a Jedi Knight. Vader thought he had finally uncovered all his master's lies, but this had to be the worst one.

One of the things that had kept Vader down all these years, was the crippling guilt he felt over killing Padmé. He tried to cover up his guilt and claim she had earned it with her betrayal. At the thought of her betrayal, Vader felt his anger raise again.

She had betrayed him on Mustafar, and had continued her betrayal by hiding from him all these years. How had he failed to sense her? All this time and he had never felt her force signature with the force? He had been so sure he had killed her that day on Mustafar. He couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan had anything to do with how well Padmé had been hidden.

There were so many questions going through his mind at the moment. Like Padmé mentioning the loss of their children. Children? As in more than one? How was that possible? Had he killed their child...children when he had choked her? In their heated argument, Padmé had said he had taken them from her. When Sidious had said Padmé had died, he said the child had died with her. Was that part the only truth he had been told that night?

Vader would have probably stayed out in the storm longer, lost in his thoughts. However, he could feel the twins keen distress through the force and decided to head home. He barely had been in the air five minutes when a speeder-bus had come careening out of nowhere and slammed into the rear end of his speeder. He had been lucky to escape with a speeder that still flew. The back of the speeder had taken a hard hit, Vader doubted it could be fixed.

Vader didn't know how long he sat brooding in his office and started when he heard Atina moving about. A small flash on his screen told him he had missed a couple of com calls from the Imperial Center. Vader sighed, right now he didn't give a crap whether he had missed any important calls. He turned his chair to face the window. As he looked out, the storm outside raged on as determinedly as ever. Vader could relate with the turbulent weather outside. The storm mirrored the intense emotions raging inside him at this moment.

He glanced at the chrono on his desk. _0600 standard hours_. He yawned and stood up slowly. His body protested at the movement. After sitting for a long period at the desk, lactic acid had built up in Vader's body and he felt his injuries more keenly than before. Vader winced as he stretched his arms and back out.

He finally got up and made his way through the quiet house and flopped on the living room's longest couch. The couch was still too short for his tall body and extremely uncomfortable. But the Dark Lord barely remembered closing his eyes and soon drifted into a deep dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>Padmé opened her eyes and stared around her in confusion. Her confusion didn't last long as the previous day's events came rushing back. The very memory brought a headache on and Padmé sat up rubbing her pounding head. She was in Anakin's bed. No Vader's. In his penthouse and she probably had no way out. Panic seized her at the thought. Was she stuck here?<p>

Anakin had always been extremely possessive of her, so the thought of him locking her in for safety reasons wouldn't surprise her. At times in their short time together, Padmé had felt slightly suffocated by his possessiveness. She had a feeling Vader wasn't much different.

Padmé pushed the thoughts aside, as the pleasant aroma of coffee caught her attention. She slowly slipped out of the huge bed and padded out of the room. She moved quietly through the house and followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen. She found Atina, the friendly nanny, at work in the kitchen. She was making breakfast and looked up when Padmé stopped at the door. She smiled at her.

"Morning, Milady"

Padmé frowned at the term of address. "Please don't call me that, Padmé is fine."

Atina raised an eyebrow. "You are married to his Lordship aren't you? Unless you're divorced?"

Padmé sighed and shook her head. "No, we are still married." she said in a low voice.

Atina nodded quietly and gestured to one of the stools. "Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea perhaps? It will take a minute for breakfast to be ready"

Padmé smiled gratefully. "Some coffee would be nice. I hardly got any sleep last night, I could use an energy kick" she moved into the kitchen and sat down.

Atina retrieved a large mug and filled it with some steamy coffee. She walked over and handed the cup to Padmé. Padmé sniffed the fine brew appreciatively and took a sip. "This is delicious." she said.

Atina laughed. "It's his Lordship's favorite. One of the few luxuries he allows himself. I don't care for it myself. I prefer tea"

Padmé smiled at the thought. Anakin had always had a weakness for coffee. "I usually prefer tea too, but a good mug of coffee is nice once in a while."

She remained quiet and Atina left her to her thoughts. After a while, Atina sighed before asking. "What time did he come in last night?"

Padmé looked up from studying the granite pattern on the counter. "He didn't actually come in last night, he came home at _0200_ this morning. He had been in a speeder wreck" she said.

Atina snorted. "It was bound to happen. The man is the most reckless flyer I have ever met." she said. "I noticed he looked pretty banged up."

Padmé nodded. "Where is he?"

"Asleep in the living room, he was snoring up a storm, which he never does. I figure he broke his nose or something"

Padmé frowned in worry. Vader had been pretty injured when she had seen him earlier, perhaps she should have let him have his bed to sleep in. She stood up and placed her coffee mug on the counter.

"I'll be right back" She said to Atina.

Atina nodded absently as Padmé left the room. She made her way up the stairs to the living room she had been taken to when she passed out. A door opened and Luke and Leia ran out of their room, their young faces creased with worry. Padmé felt awful when she saw them. The poor things didn't deserve to be concerned about their father like this.

"Is Daddy back?" Leia asked when she saw Padmé.

Padmé nodded. "I was just going to check on him,"

The twins followed her into the living room. Loud snores reverberated against the walls as Vader lay sprawled out on the couch. Luke and Leia rushed to their father's side.

"Daddy!" Leia's sweet voice dripped of extreme concern.

"Leia, let your father sleep" Padmé said quickly in a soft voice. "He's hurt and he needs his rest"

While that was true, Padmé also wanted Vader to sleep for as long as possible so she wouldn't have to deal with him.

"Is he okay?" Luke asked worriedly.

"Shh!" Padmé said as Vader stirred. She gently tried to pull the twins from their sleeping father. She was met with resistance and marveled at their strength.

"What did you do to him?" Leia asked accusingly, her brown eyes flashing with anger.

Padmé sighed. "Nothing, Leia. He was in a speeder wreck and…"

"This is all your fault!" Leia snapped. "You made him angry!"

Padmé bit her lip, shocked at the little girl's outrage. "I know, Leia. I'm sorry…"

"Sorry won't make Daddy better!" Leia yelled.

Padmé was stunned at the girl's sharp words and took a step back. Vader gave a groan of annoyance at the noise disturbing his sleep, but didn't open his eyes. Luke hurriedly grabbed his sister and pulled her away from Vader's side.

"Leia don't be like that!" he whispered. "It's not Miss Rose's fault and you know it!" he said fiercely.

Leia looked away sulkily before she sighed. "I know, I'm sorry" She said to Padmé in a softer voice.

Padmé smiled nervously. "It's okay, but I think we better let your father sleep." she said guiding them out of the room. She led them to the kitchen where Atina had finished cooking.

The twins nanny smiled when she saw them. "Morning you two. How does a nice hot breakfast sound?" she asked.

The twins gave weak smiles and moved to the stools. Padmé resumed her seat and continued drinking her coffee while Atina placed the food on the table.

* * *

><p>Hours later Vader rolled over on the couch and moaned. He felt like complete crap, like a speeder wreck. Everything hurt, including his head which felt like it was about to split evenly right down the middle. Using the force to dull the pain, he sat up slowly. Everything seemed be working slowly and his eyes took time to realize that the room wasn't constantly spinning.<p>

"You're awake" A soft voice said.

Vader started and looked in the direction of the voice. Padmé sat on the opposite chair, watching him carefully. Vader stared at her in shock. Was he dreaming? Padmé was dead… Was this a vision? He stilled as his memories from the previous day rushed back.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

Vader scowled. After everything she had done to him, she had the audacity to sit there and pretend to care about him. "Why do you care?" he said coldly.

"Luke and Leia are worried about you" Padmé said. "You've slept all day. The twins wanted to say goodnight but Atina didn't want to wake you" She said.

Vader leaned back slowly. Of course, _she didn't care._ It was the twins who were worried about him. Not her. Vader felt slightly annoyed at the sharp stab of pain the realization brought.

"Bring them in" he said in a distant voice.

Padmé nodded and stood up. A few minutes later Luke and Leia peered in at the door. Vader gave them a small smile. "Come here you two mischiefs"

The twins darted in and jumped on his lap. Vader stifled a cry of pain into a groan at their sudden weight against his injuries. He drew them to him and hugged them, relishing in their innocent love and concern.

Right now the only two people in the galaxy who cared about him were right in his arms. He looked up and noticed Padmé watching them with a pained expression. Turning to the twins he asked. "Were you two well behaved?" he asked.

The twins nodded, their adorable faces creased with worry. Leia tapped her father's cheek in a scolding manner. "Don't ever do that again Daddy. I was worried to death!" she said.

"Yeah, you coulda died or worse!" Luke said with wide eyes.

Vader smiled as his children's concern soothed his aching heart. "I'm sorry" He said kissing first Leia's then Luke's head. "I won't do that ever again."

"Do you promise?" the twins asked in unison.

"I promise"

Atina peeked in and smiled at the family scene on the couch. "I hate to break this up, but it's time for the twins to go to bed." she said. "Milord" she said acknowledging her boss.

Luke and Leia nodded. Leia kissed her father's cheek and slipped off his lap. She waited for Luke to say goodnight, then both children left the room. When they left, Padmé sat down again opposite Vader a concerned look flickered on her face.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Vader attempted to sit up without causing pain to flood through his body. His entire body protested at the movement and he closed his eyes till the pain subsided. He knew he would fall over if he stood up at this point, so he decided to buy time.

"Has the weather improved?" he asked dryly, ignoring her question.

Padmé frowned but decided not to push him about how he was feeling and shook her head. "It abated for a moment but it's now worse. Apparently you weren't the only one involved in a speeder wreck" she said. "Lots have happened."

Vader gingerly ran his hands across his legs as if to gauge them. He decided to try standing up and immediately regretted it as he was hit with a strong wave of nausea. He swallowed deeply and walked to the window. Snowflakes drifting across sky greeted him.

Vader pulled a face at the thought of the duty he had been assigned by his master. He supposed he should be grateful the weather was probably postponing his dealing with Black Rose and theatrics he would be forced to perform when she arrived.

"Are you hungry?" Padmé's question cut into his thoughts.

Vader found himself gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He didn't need her to care for him. He could see from the way she was looking at him, like he was some poor street urchin she had pity for. He wanted her to _love_ him, which she had said she no longer did. Vader's anger rose at the thought and turned to face her.

"No" he said shortly. "I have work to do"

"Most of the technology systems shut down a while ago. Atina said Holonet was out too, so I am not sure what work you could possible get done, Lord Vader" Padmé said coldly, annoyed at his brushing her concern away.

Vader glared at her for a moment. First she wouldn't love him and now she dared to make fun of his work? "Get out" he almost whispered, his anger consuming him.

Padmé narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"GET OUT!" Vader bellowed.

Padmé stared at him in horror. When and why had his mood changed quickly? She stood up quickly and left the room in a hurry. She found Atina marching to the door with a heavy frown on her face.

She stopped Padmé. "Did he hurt you?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

Padmé shook her head, Atina cast the door a glare and nodded. "You look tired, why don't we get you in bed?"

Padmé allowed the motherly woman to guide her to the bedroom she slept in the previous night. She got ready for bed and got into the bed. She felt stiff as she tried to settle down, this was Vader's bed and he had made it pretty clear she wasn't welcome in his house just a moment ago.

The image of the twins hugging their father rose unbidden in her mind. Vader had taken everything from her and he yet he had everything she wanted. He had a loving family of two lovely children, while she lived a shell of an existence, wishing for something she couldn't have. Then he had the nerve to treat her like some unwanted parasite. Padmé bit her lip as tears rose in her eyes. She would not cry over him, again.

The door opened and she tensed up as Vader entered. He didn't say a word and passed the bed to enter the fresher. A few minutes later, she heard the water begin to run and felt uncomfortable with the knowledge that her estranged husband was naked in the next room. Several minutes later, Vader emerged from the fresher wearing only a towel. Padmé peeked out to see if he had left the room and immediately regretted her decision. She blushed and dove beneath the blanket. Didn't he have any decency at all?

She heard a snort of laughter from Vader and lowered the blanket in shock. "What's so funny?" she asked indignantly.

"You." Vader said in amusement as he watched her. "It's not like you've haven't seen it before" he said.

Padmé blushed a deep red realizing what he was insinuating. "Ewww, no!" she squealed and hid beneath the blanket again. This time she heard Vader laugh harder. Padmé was cross at him. How dare he laugh at the expense of her dignity?

She turned away from him and tried to get comfortable. Suddenly, she felt herself drowsing off very quickly and frowned. She peeped out of the blanket and was relieved to find Vader mostly dressed. He stood with his back to her, buttoning his shirt. "Are you doing that?" she asked.

Vader turned to face her and frowned. "Doing what?"

"Putting me to sleep?"

"Putting you to sleep? Now why would I do such a thing?" He asked sarcastically.

Padmé glared at him and turned her back on him once again. He was so rude, cold and distant. He was definitely not her Anakin anymore. But there were moments like earlier when he had teased her, it almost felt like old times. She had almost thought..._what a fool I am!_ Padmé thought to herself.

The heavy need to sleep returned and Padmé gave in to it. The pleasant deep sleep of the night before returned and took her completely.

* * *

><p>Vader gave a small smile as he watched his wife sleep. He had used a simple sleep suggestion. Padmé had always been able to tell when he used the force on her and never appreciated it. Vader hadn't wanted her to know he was concerned that she was struggling to sleep. That and the fact this was his way of apologizing to her for his earlier behavior. He wasn't quite ready to say it out loud just yet.<p>

He walked over to the bed and caressed her cheek and sighed. "Goodnight Angel" he said. He turned the lights out and left the room.

Vader walked to his office and started when he heard his holo-transmitter buzzed. Apparently not all communication was down. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, he had the best communicator the galaxy had to offer.

He looked at who it was and grimaced when he saw it was the Emperor. He now had a severe bone to pick with his master. He was pretty sure the old man had known Padmé was alive and purposefully hidden it from him. The possibility that he had dared to do such a thing enraged Vader. Vader pushed aside his angry thoughts of his master and dropped to one knee.

"Yes my master?" He said not bothering to sound subservient.

"Lord Vader. Have you heard the latest on Black Rose?" the Emperor's raspy voice inquired.

"No my master. My communicator has been down the past few hours due to the weather." Vader said, not wanting to admit that he had ignored several calls that had come through.

"Zed has just reported to me that the rebels are concerned. Black Rose has gone missing. She was headed to Imperial Capital, but she has mysteriously disappeared."

Vader arched an eyebrow. "Something doesn't sound right about this master. Perhaps the rebels have caught on to us, and are using this to get us off her trail?"

Sidious cursed. "You're right Lord Vader. Did they really think we would be so stupid?"

"I think they were hoping we were" Vader said.

Sidious was quiet. "Well I want you to monitor the situation. As soon as we hear the slightest news about her, we will swoop in and capture that rebel scum."

Vader nodded. "Yes my master. I will do my best, but the weather..."

Sidious cursed furiously. "This cursed weather! It had better clear up before she is found, if she is truly missing. I want her dead. I want her dead!" He yelled maniacally.

Vader was silent as his master threw his little tantrum. Finally, the emperor calmed himself and turned to Vader. "The plan is still on. Whenever she is found, you know what you must do"

Vader grimaced at the thought. The Emperor's stupid flawed flirt plan had been giving him headaches for weeks now.

"Yes master" he said through gritted teeth.

"Contact me when you have news"

Vader was glad to see the holo-image disappear. With sigh he sat in his chair. He was extremely relieved Black Rose was missing. It gave him time to focus on his own problems.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder why Black Rose had so conveniently disappeared just as Padmé reappeared in his life. In fact it was too convenient to be just a coincidence. But he didn't care about that right now. Right now he had his own personal problems to worry about.

The biggest one being his wife sleeping in his bedroom. Now that he had her back, he fully intended to keep Padmé by his side. They could finally be the family he had dreamed of when he had adopted the twins.

The twins would have a mother and he would have his angel back. He smiled at the thought. With his complete family by his side, he would soon be ready to take over from his master. Once he was the Emperor, he would give Padmé whatever she wanted.

She wouldn't turn down the unlimited power ruling as his empress would give her. Yes, she would forgive him for all the hurt he had caused her in time and she would never want to live without him. She would never want to hide from him again, like she did these past seven years.

Combined together with the twins and his love, her life as Empress would be complete. It would be enough to keep her by his side. It had to be.


End file.
